Aquatic Ecosystem Health

Freshwater mussels are the most imperiled group of animals in North America, with 66% of species at risk. Mussel populations are declining globally, but the factors contributing to these declines are largely unknown. Habitat fragmentation and alteration, point- and non-point source pollution, navigation-related impacts, and exotic species introductions are thought to be responsible for mussel...

Conservation and Restoration of Native Freshwater Mussels There has been growing concern by Federal and State agencies in recent years over the risk that lampricide applications may have on non-target organisms. Due to their highly imperiled status, sedentary behavior, and bottom dwelling nature, native freshwater mussels are a group of organisms that may be adversely affected by lampricides...

The environmental DNA (eDNA) samples collected, processed, and sequenced by the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) and partner agencies are being archived in a cloud-based database application. Consolidating eDNA data will significantly improve researchers and managers ability to visualize, analyze, and integrate sequence data as a monitoring and early detection system for...

Registration of new fishery chemicals is critical for resource managers to incorporate chemical controls as part of their Integrated Pest Management plans. In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) obtained a Section 3 registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for carbon dioxide (CO2) as a new pesticide under the name Carbon Dioxide–Carp...

Invasive carps (silver, bighead, black, grass) cause considerable economic and ecological damage to important fishery and water resources in the United States. Carbon dioxide (CO2) applied into water is being developed as a new chemical method to control invasive carps and other aquatic invasive species. Ongoing studies are evaluating the effectiveness of CO2 as a behavioral deterrent to limit...

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is being evaluated as a new fishery chemical for general aquatic invasive species control. Most research has focused on its effectiveness as a behavioral deterrent and lethal control or invasive carps. However, because CO2 is generally non-selective, there is potential for this new control chemical to be applied across a wide range of aquatic invasive species challenges.

Chemical controls are a vital component of many effective Integrated Pest Management plans. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is being evaluated as a new fishery chemical for invasive carps as a general toxicant or behavioral deterrent. Administration of non-selective chemicals, such as CO2, into public waters could pose a risk to non-target organisms (e.g. native mussels, native fishes) through direct or...

Management agencies often rely on commercial harvest for invasive carp population control. Piscicides, or fish toxicants, are an alternative method that could supplement Integrated Pest Management plans to kill and remove large quantities of invasive carps in a relatively short period of time. This non-selective removal strategy could greatly improve removal efficiency, particularly where high...

Management agencies have identified key pinch-points where there is a need to block invasive carp passage. Recent studies have shown that carbon dioxide (CO2) can be an effective behavioral deterrent for invasive carps and could be used independently or in combination with other deterrents to reduce the risk of migration into new areas. Installation of a deterrent at these management locations...

Introduction of invasive carps into public waters of the United States has resulted in a large effort to limit dispersal beyond the Mississippi River watershed. Navigation structures positioned throughout most major rivers are potential pinch-points to block further range expansion into new areas. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is being evaluated as non-physical fish deterrent that could reduce fish passage...

We aim to develop a control tool for eliminating zebra mussels that exploits natural gene regulation mechanisms (RNA-induced gene silencing; RNAi) to be specific to zebra mussels without non-target effects. In addition to the nuisance they pose, Pimentel et al. estimated that zebra mussels cost the U.S. economy over $1 billion annually. Zebra mussels are among the International Union for...

As part of an ongoing project funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and lead by the Idaho Water Sciences Center (IDWSC) and Northern Rocky Mountain Research Center (NOROCK), the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) will analyze environmental DNA samples collected at gage stations directly downstream of multiple reservoirs throughout the Columbia River Basin. The goal of this project...