scholarly journals Effects of Adult Biomass and Environmental Conditions on Bigheaded Carp Reproductive Output

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-382
Author(s):  
Michael J. Weber ◽  
Aaron Matthews ◽  
Clay L. Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Silver Carp ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Bighead Carp ◽  
River Temperature ◽  
Commercial Harvest ◽  
Stock Recruitment ◽  
Recruitment Model ◽  
Adult Abundance

Abstract Bighead Carp Hypothalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp Hypothalmichthys moltrix (hereafter collectively referred to as Bigheaded Carp) have spread throughout the majority of the Mississippi River since the 1970s. The current northern invasion edge of Bigheaded Carp in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) spans between Pools 14 and 20 because of limited passage at Lock and Dam (LD) 19. Mechanisms limiting adult Bigheaded Carp abundance above LD19 are unknown but may be due in part to lack of reproductive success influenced by adult abundance and environmental factors. Our objective was to investigate how relative adult biomass and river temperature and discharge affect maximum annual Bigheaded Carp larval production in the UMR using a Ricker stock-recruitment model. Adult Bigheaded Carp relative biomass (kg/h) was estimated annually with boat electrofishing and larvae were collected every 10 d between May and August 2014–2017 in Pools 14–20 in the UMR. Adult relative biomass ranged from 0.0 to 880.9 kg/h, whereas maximum annual larval densities ranged from 0.0 to 2,869.4 larvae/m3. After accounting for variability among pools and years, the most supported linear Ricker stock-recruitment model indicated the number of recruits per spawner decreased with increasing adult relative biomass and increased with mean discharge. Our results highlight the importance of adult biomass and river discharge conditions for reproduction of Bigheaded Carp along leading edges of invasion. Management strategies that aim to maintain low adult abundance where reproduction is not yet occurring could help limit population increases via reproduction, whereas reducing high adult biomass (e.g., commercial harvest, barriers) may result in greater Bigheaded Carp reproductive output in the UMR.

scholarly journals Hydrology controls recruitment of two invasive cyprinids: bigheaded carp reproduction in a navigable large river

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel K. Gibson-Reinemer ◽  
Levi E. Solomon ◽  
Richard M. Pendleton ◽  
John H. Chick ◽  
Andrew F. Casper
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Silver Carp ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Large River ◽  
Asian Carp ◽  
Bighead Carp ◽  
Illinois River ◽  
Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix ◽  
The Past ◽  
Causative Factors

In the Mississippi River Basin of North America, invasive bigheaded carp (silver carpHypophthalmichthys molitrixand bighead carpH. nobilis, also referred to as Asian carp) have spread rapidly over the past several decades. In the Illinois River, an important tributary of the Upper Mississippi River, reproduction appears to be sporadic and frequently unsuccessful, yet bigheaded carp densities in this river are among the highest recorded on the continent. Understanding the causative factors behind erratic recruitment in this commercially-harvested invasive species is important for both limiting their spread and managing their harvest. We analyzed weekly catch records from 15 years of a standardized monitoring program to document the emergence of age-0 bigheaded carp in relation to environmental conditions. The appearance of age-0 fish was generally linked to hydrographic attributes, which probably serve as a cue for spawning. However, we found profound differences in the number of age-0 fish among years, which varied by as much as five orders of magnitude in successive years. The strong link between summer flooding and age-0 fish production we observed emphasizes the importance of understanding the hydrologic context in which sustained invasions occur. Despite evidence of sporadic recruitment, bigheaded carp populations in the Illinois River appear to be consistent or increasing because of particularly strong, episodic year classes.

Invasive Asian Carps in North America

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Silver Carp ◽  
Bighead Carp ◽  
Ctenopharyngodon Idella ◽  
Great Lakes Basin ◽  
Black Carp ◽  
Federal Department ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Asian Carps

<em>Abstract</em>.—There are four species collectively known as the Asian carps: grass carp <em>Ctenopharyngodon idella</em>, bighead carp <em>Hypophthalmichthys nobilis</em>, silver carp <em>H. molitrix</em>, and black carp <em>Mylopharyngodon piceus</em>. These species have been introduced worldwide for aquaculture purposes. Subsequent to introduction into the southern United States, three species have become well-established in the wild (grass, bighead, and silver carps). Two of these species, bighead and silver carps, have been dispersing rapidly up the Mississippi River basin, wreaking ecological havoc along the way. As there are numerous connections between the Mississippi basin and Canadian watersheds, including the Great Lakes, there is considerable concern about their potential ecological impacts if introduced and established in Canada. In addition to natural dispersal, these species may also be introduced into the Canadian wild through the live food fish trade. In 2004, the Canadian federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted a risk assessment to determine the ecological risk of Asian carps to Canada. This assessment included evaluating the risk of survival, reproduction and spread of these species, as well as their pathogens, parasites, or fellow travelers (e.g. other invasive species), should they be introduced into Canada. These components were assessed in an expert workshop using best available information on their biology, potential vectors of introduction, and impacts in both native and introduced ranges. The assessment concluded that the risk of impact was high in, at least, some parts of Canada, including the southern Great Lakes basin by all four Asian carp species.

Fishery Resources, Environment, and Conservation in the Mississippi and Yangtze (Changjiang) River Basins

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
Silver Carp ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Bighead Carp ◽  
The Yangtze River ◽  
Changjiang River ◽  
Hypophthalmichthys Nobilis ◽  
Anthropogenic Modifications

<em>Abstract</em>.—Bighead Carp <em>Hypophthalmichthys nobilis </em>and Silver Carp <em>H. molitrix </em>are native in the Yangtze River and extremely important economically and culturally as food fishes; however, the two species have declined due to overfishing and anthropogenic modifications to hydrology and water quality. Bighead Carp and Silver Carp were imported to North America in the early 1970s, escaped confinement, and have now become undesirable and problematic invasive species. The two carps have become the most abundant fish species in many portions of their invaded range, which continues to expand. We compare the biology, status, and management of these species between their natal range in the Yangtze River and their invaded habitats of the Mississippi River basin.

Identification of Bighead Carp and Silver Carp early-life environments and inferring Lock and Dam 19 passage in the Upper Mississippi River: insights from otolith chemistry

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1007-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory W. Whitledge ◽  
Brent Knights ◽  
Jon Vallazza ◽  
James Larson ◽  
Michael J. Weber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mississippi River ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Silver Carp ◽  
Bighead Carp ◽  
Otolith Chemistry ◽  
Upper Mississippi River

scholarly journals Responses of invasive silver and bighead carp to a carbon dioxide barrier in outdoor ponds

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron R. Cupp ◽  
Richard A. Erickson ◽  
Kim T. Fredricks ◽  
Nicholas M. Swyers ◽  
Tyson W. Hatton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Silver Carp ◽  
Fish Passage ◽  
Bighead Carp ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Hypophthalmichthys Molitrix ◽  
Dissolved Carbon ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Before And After

Resource managers need effective methods to prevent the movement of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) from the Mississippi River basin into the Laurentian Great Lakes. In this study, we evaluated dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) as a barrier and deterrent to silver (278 ± 30.5 mm) and bighead (212 ± 7.7 mm) carp movement in continuous-flow outdoor ponds. As a barrier, CO2 significantly reduced upstream movement but was not 100% effective at blocking fish passage. As a deterrent, we observed a significant shift away from areas of high CO2 relative to normal movement before and after injection. Carbon dioxide concentrations varied across the pond during injection and reached maximum concentrations of 74.5 ± 1.9 mg·L–1 CO2; 29 532 – 41 393 μatm (1 atm = 101.325 kPa) at the site of injection during three independent trials. We conclude that CO2 altered silver and bighead carp movement in outdoor ponds and recommend further research to determine barrier effectiveness during field applications.

scholarly journals Quirky patterns in time-series of estimates of recruitment could be artefacts

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dickey-Collas ◽  
N. T. Hintzen ◽  
R. D. M. Nash ◽  
P-J. Schön ◽  
M. R. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Stock Recruitment ◽  
Modelling Assumptions ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Recruitment Model ◽  
Recruitment Time

Abstract The accessibility of databases of global or regional stock assessment outputs is leading to an increase in meta-analysis of the dynamics of fish stocks. In most of these analyses, each of the time-series is generally assumed to be directly comparable. However, the approach to stock assessment employed, and the associated modelling assumptions, can have an important influence on the characteristics of each time-series. We explore this idea by investigating recruitment time-series with three different recruitment parameterizations: a stock–recruitment model, a random-walk time-series model, and non-parametric “free” estimation of recruitment. We show that the recruitment time-series is sensitive to model assumptions and this can impact reference points in management, the perception of variability in recruitment and thus undermine meta-analyses. The assumption of the direct comparability of recruitment time-series in databases is therefore not consistent across or within species and stocks. Caution is therefore required as perhaps the characteristics of the time-series of stock dynamics may be determined by the model used to generate them, rather than underlying ecological phenomena. This is especially true when information about cohort abundance is noisy or lacking.

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