Capturing potential: Leveraging grass carp behavior Ctenopharyngodon idella for enhanced removal

Effective management of invasive species benefits from a comprehensive understanding of the species’ behavior and interactions with the invaded system. We investigated temporal dynamics of telemetry detections and the potential utility of a traitor approach for informing response efforts to the invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) population in the Sandusky River, a major tributary to Lake Erie. Telemetered grass carp exhibited heightened activity at night and early morning, suggesting that capture and removal be more effective during these time periods. Analysis of catch per unit effort (CPUE) across different removal methods, trammel nets, electrofishing, and hoop nets. suggested that incorporating the traitor approach could improve capture. Low catchability values (