Aquatic Ecosystem Health

The lampricides 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and 2’,5-dichloro-4’-nitrosalicylanilide (niclosamide) have been used successfully more than 30 years to kill sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) larvae in streams and rivers tributary to the Great Lakes. TFM is sold under the commercial name Lamprecid®, a formulation of the sodium salt of TFM which is approximately 35% active ingredient by weight...

Niclosamide (2-amino ethanol salt of 5-chloro-N-[2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl]-2-hydroxybenzamide, NIC) is the active ingredient in the lampricide Bayluscide®. Bayluscide® 70% wettable powder is typically used in combination with TFM to reduce the amount of TFM required for an effective treatment. The 3.2% granular formulation of Bayluscide® is normally used alone to assess larval sea lamprey...

Zebra and quagga mussels were first introduced into the Great Lakes in the 1980’s and they have since expanded to over 750 inland lakes in addition to the 5 Great Lakes. A 2009 study conducted by the Idaho Aquatic Nuisance Species Taskforce estimated the annual economic threat of dreissenids to Idaho to be $94 million. A literature review conducted by Lovell and Stone (2005) demonstrates the...

The spectaclecase mussel, Cumberlandia monodonta, was effectively listed as federally endangered in April 2012 (https://federalregister.gov/a/2012-5603). It is endemic to the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri River basins and historically inhabited 44 streams in these basins (USFWS 2014). Currently, the species is known to inhabit 20 of the historical streams, five of which are represented by one or...

A dead-cell, spray-dried powder formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain CL145A was recently approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for control of dreissenid mussels (zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussel, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) in open-water environments. The EPA approved product, Zequanox® (registration number 84059-15) is manufactured by Marrone...

Zebra mussels (Dreissenia polymorpha) are native to the Black, Caspian, and Aral Seas of eastern Europe (Gollasch and Leppäkoski 1999) and they were likely introduced into Lake Erie as veliger larvae in the summer or fall of 1985 (Hebert et al. 1989). Their high reproductive capacity and planktonic larval stage enable zebra mussels to rapidly disperse (Birnbaum 2011). Less than 10 years after...

In study AEH-14-COr02, Lampsilis siliquoidea juveniles were exposed to four treatments of CO2, ranging from 43 to 266 mg/L, for 28 days, followed by 17 days post-exposure in untreated water. The resultant median lethal concentration of CO2 that caused 50% mortality (LC50) was 78 ±13 mg/L. The targeted field concentration of a CO2 barrier is 70-80 mg/L. The present study intends to repeat the...

Control technology for dreissenid mussels currently relies heavily on chemical molluscicides that can be both costly and ecologically harmful. There is a need to develop more environmentally neutral control tools to manage dreissenid mussels. Carbon dioxide has shown toxicity to several species of invasive bivalves, including zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and the Asian clam (Corbicula...

With the increasing prevalence of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS), the implementation of new control techniques to inhibit the dispersal of AIS is strongly desired. For a technique to be a truly viable option, the process would inhibit the movement of AIS between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes. A physical barrier separating these regions...

Attempts to control carp, Cyprinus carpio, populations in Minnesota (and elsewhere) date back to early 1900s (Moyle et al. 1950, Moyle and Kuehn 1964). Early efforts focused on removing large numbers of adult carp, often by targeting their winter aggregations using seine nets. Such was the strategy in Minnesota in 1930s and 40s, where carp were systematically removed with nets in dozens of lakes...

Invasive fishes are of considerable concern to aquatic resource managers. For example, the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), originally brought over from Eurasia sometime in the 1800s are now ubiquitous in U.S. waters. Although they have been around for over 100 years and have become part of U.S. culture, they are still highly detrimental to aquatic ecosystems and a method to eradicate and control of...

The results of this study will advance our understanding of environmental DNA (eDNA) and how eDNA signatures change as fish behavior changes over the course of the open water season. This will further develop eDNA as an easy sampling method to collect information about invading populations or cryptic species that are difficult to capture so that resource managers can be given better information to...