Effective management of invasive carp populations in the missouri river basin requires knowledge of where, when, and how individuals move in recently invaded areas and an understanding of which…

The State South Dakota Game Fish & Parks Wildlife Division was awarded a $516,717 Project Grant by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6 under the Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance program (CFDA 15.608). The purpose of this 3-year project is to study the movement behavior and habitat preferences of invasive carp species in the Missouri River Basin in South Dakota and North Dakota. The key deliverables include:

1. Tracking invasive carp movements in the James River using acoustic telemetry to understand tributary usage and timing.
2. Assessing which tributary habitats are most suitable for supporting different life stages of invasive carp based on factors like water temperature, prey availability, and flow.
3. Identifying uninvaded waterbodies that are connected to currently invaded areas and at high risk of future invasion, under both typical and extreme water conditions.
4. Determining the natal origins and movement patterns of invasive carp populations using otolith microchemistry analysis.

This research will provide critical insights to state and federal natural resource management agencies to inform strategies for controlling invasive carp and preventing their spread to new areas within the Missouri River Basin.

Effective management of invasive carp populations in the missouri river basin requires knowledge of where, when, and how individuals move in recently invaded areas and an understanding of which locations are most at-risk of becoming invaded in the future. This information helps determine where to focus management actions and what types of actions to take (e.g., movement deterrents, surveillance monitoring). The purpose of this project is to determine movement behavior of invasive carp in missouri river tributaries in south dakota and to identify waterbodies in south dakota and north dakota that are most at-risk of becoming invaded in the future. For identifying invasive carp movements, south dakota game, fish, and parks (sdgfp) will partner with south dakota state university (sdsu) to tag carp with acoustic transmitters, with movements recorded on a network of 21 telemetry receivers located throughout the james river. Invasion risk will be determined using three complementary approaches and will be a collaboration between sdgfp and sdsu. The first analysis will predict how suited tributary habitats are for invasive carp. Water temperature, prey availability, and flow will be measured from missouri river tributaries and will be used to predict how well different life stages of invasive carp could survive and grow if they were introduced to these systems. The second analysis will assess invasion risk at uninvaded locations by identifying waterbodies that are connected to currently invaded areas throughout south dakota and north dakota. Identifying these connected habitats will be performed under years with typical water levels as well as extreme water level years (e.g., flood and drought years). The third analysis of invasion risk will assess natal origins of invasive carp in various missouri river tributaries using otolith microchemistry to identify main sources of reproduction and examine movement at a longer timescale than acoustic telemetry. Outcomes of the movement, habitat risk assessment, and otolith microchemistry work include: an understanding of tributary movement patterns, habitat use, and timing of movements at the edge of the invaded range in the missouri river basin identification of which tributaries are capable of supporting invasive carp and the life stages expected to survive in each location identification of tributaries most contributing to the invasive carp population and maps depicting waterbodies sharing a physical connection with currently invaded habitats that represent potential routes for dispersal. This information will benefit a diversity of stakeholders, including state and federal natural resource management agencies so that management actions are informed by the best available data for controlling invasive carp populations and preventing spread to new areas in the missouri river basin.