RIDGELAND, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) are working to keep invasive carp out of the Ross Barnett Reservoir.

The Northside Sun reported the agency plans to keep four invasive carp species out of the reservoir by passing a new regulation. When people harvest baitfish from the spillway, they must put them on ice or in a dry container without water before leaving the area.

According to MDWFP leaders, they want to prevent the transfer of live bait to other bodies of water in Mississippi.

Invasive carp has been located in the Mississippi River, the Yazoo River Basin and in Northeast Mississippi in a reservoir on the Tennessee River system. So far, there have been no reports of invasive carp in the Barnett Reservoir.

For more information on fishing and boating regulations in Mississippi, click here.