Tennessee and Cumberland rivers longitudinal and lateral movements

Silver Carp continue to expand their range in North American river basins, necessitating efforts to limit the spread with a combination of management actions. Within the Tennessee and Cumberland River Basin, locks and dams serve as bottlenecks that slow range expansion of invasive carps. Dams in the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers are high-head dams that restrict upstream passage to the lock chamber. These locations could play an integral control point for minimizing the spread of Silver Carp in the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers and are possible candidate sites for deterrents. USGS researchers and State and Federal management agency partners are investigating how environmental variables and lock vessel traffic effect fish passage at focal locks and dams. Results from this study can provide insights into movement of invasive carps through high-head dams on large rivers and help to inform decisions on optimal management actions within river systems.