Invasive Species

Aquatic invasive species are a significant problem throughout the world. They cause millions of dollars in damages to industry, devastate natural ecosystems, and ruin outdoor recreational areas. Preventing their spread is imperative to preserving our natural resources. One potential pathway invasive fishes can spread is by harvesting and transporting baitfish. Often shipments of baitfish are...

Bigheaded carp, especially silver (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), are invasive fish species that have established breeding populations dominating large regions of the Mississippi Drainage in the 20 years following escape from aquaculture facilities in Arkansas

Currently, prevention of the movement of bigheaded carps from the Mississippi watershed into the Great Lakes rests on a single electric barrier located in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). Additional barriers and/or supplements to the electric barrier would improve the efficacy of deterring bigheaded carps movement into the Great Lakes through redundancy and ‘safety nets’, and offer greater...