Size, attachment material and efficacy of piscicide delivery vials and baits for control of black carp, Mylopharyngodon piceus

A piscicide delivery method was designed to selectively target black carp Mylopharyngodon piceus, an invasive species in North America which possesses specially adapted pharyngeal teeth for crushing mollusk prey. Bait was prepared by attaching a glass vial containing toxicant (antimycin A) to the exterior of Corbicula fluminea clam valve. The vial was designed to break by the force exerted from the fish’s (550 millimeter total length) pharyngeal teeth when the fish attempted to crush and consume the clam. Suitable vial size was tested for encapsulating piscicide and two attachment materials, aquarium epoxy and ultraviolet light (UV) cured attachment material. Toxic baits consisting of antimycin A piscicide were administered in ethanol and acetone carriers to black carp in assembled baits with vials attached to live clam valves at three concentrations (40.0 milligrams per milliliter ethanol and 341.5 and 170.8 milligrams per milliliter acetone). Additionally fathead minnow Pimephales promelas toxicity data from experiments validating the methods of flame sealing glass vials are present in this dataset.