Carp, introduced by European settlers, were stocked in Wisconsin waters as early as 1880 and thrived in the shallow waters of rivers and lakes, reproducing so rapidly that by 1900 anglers asked the state to begin a carp removal project, for which permits and contracts were issued. In 1934, the Wisconsin Conservation Department hired seining crews and established rough-fish camps, and Fish Camp Launch was one of several removal facilities. Carp were harvested by seining and herded into holding pens, then shipped live in tank trucks to stock ponds in other states or packed in ice and sent by rail to fresh fish markets in Chicago and New York. Carp was used for gefullte fish and as animal feed and fertilizer. During its years of operation, over 9,000 tons of rough fish were harvested at this fish camp. The Department of Natural Resources discontinued Yahara Lakes seining in 1969 because of declining carp markets and increasing operational costs.