Invasive Carp

The negative effects of invasive carp to the Nation’s waterways are far reaching and have potential to expand and intensify. USGS is delivering data, tools and technologies to partners to keep these invasive fish out of the Great Lakes and other aquatic ecosystems and control them where they occur in the Ohio River and Mississippi River Basins.

With this study, we will validate the use of microparticles to selectively deliver a control agent to feral bigheaded carps. Prior controlled studies conducted in ponds at the Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) in Columbia, Missouri indicated that microparticles could be used to deliver antimycin to bigheaded carps while not impacting non-target species like Largemouth Bass and Grass...

Expansion of bigheaded carps Hypophthalmichthys spp. throughout North American waterways have prompted the need for control systems that can alter their movement and/or behavior. The avoidance response of bigheaded carps to the sound of an outboard motor (0.06-10 kHz) has lead researchers to investigate sound as a means to manipulate their movements.

Over 180 and 140 aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been introduced into the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins, respectively, with threats of new invasions always on the horizon. Sea lamprey, zebra mussels, and invasive carps are just a few examples of AIS whose abilities to alter aquatic habitats and disrupt food cycles threaten many outdoor recreation opportunities and ecosystems...

Increased threat of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes and spreading to other basins such as the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins, has led to increased prevention and control efforts since 2010. In collaboration with partners, USGS scientists are testing early detection methods and technologies to enhance the ability of agencies to manage Asian carp to minimize their influence and...

Increased threat of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes and spreading to other basins such as the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins, has led to increased prevention and control efforts since 2010. USGS Asian carp biology and life history research has led to the development of models, tools and strategies to better understand the risk of Asian carp establishment and survival.USGS...

Increased threat of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes and spreading to other basins such as the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins, has led to increased prevention and control efforts since 2010. Successful management of invasive species requires methods to contain future spread, reduce population levels, and minimize their effects. In collaboration with partners, USGS scientists have...

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...

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has shown promise as a deterrent to silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis) movement during laboratory (Kates et al. 2012, Dennis et al. 2015) and pond testing (Donaldson et al. 2016, Cupp et al. in journal review). To further understand the utility of CO2 to limit the dispersal of bigheaded carps, continued research into this technology is...

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...

Invasive carps, primarily silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitirx), bighead carp (H. nobilis), and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), have caused considerable ecological and economic damage in the United States. Resource managers need tools to control populations and limit range expansion of these undesired fish. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one approach being evaluated as a potential non-selective...

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...