Budget-friendly grass carp wipe hydrilla from Florida's Lake Baldwin
Florida wildlife managers used sterile triploid grass carp to cut hydrilla cover on Lake Baldwin from about 95% to under 1%, at a recorded cost of $8,499 (roughly $43 per acre). The approach—rapid, plant-eating carp—offers an affordable alternative to herbicides or mechanical removal, but carries trade-offs like potential loss of submerged vegetation and shifts in native fish communities; containment and permits are required, and Lake Baldwin is cited as a reference case for how far the method can work when properly managed.