Ldwf plans to further study the movement reproduction impacts on native species and development of markets for invasive carp previous telemetry projects funded under this program have shown that…

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $754,974 Project Grant to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) under the Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species (CFDA 15.608) program. The funding will support a multi-year study to further investigate the movement and reproductive patterns of invasive carp species in Louisiana's unique coastal habitats. Key objectives include expanding a telemetry study into the Red River, examining spawning habits, assessing impacts on native zooplankton and ichthyoplankton, developing technologies to enhance plankton sample identification, and exploring the use of silver carp as crawfish bait. These efforts will build upon previous LDWF projects funded under this program, which have provided important insights into how invasive carp utilize low-salinity coastal areas to move between river basins. The proposed work aims to help develop markets for invasive carp while also informing strategies to locate and target their spawning habitats to support removal efforts.

Ldwf plans to further study the movement reproduction impacts on native species and development of markets for invasive carp previous telemetry projects funded under this program have shown that invasive carp utilize low salinity coastal waters to move between river basins additional studies have shown a peak in movement from the backwater areas to the main rivers during the month of march studies on ichthyoplankton have shown that the peak reproductive period in LA is in may and that the number of carp larval stages present in the water column may be related to the flow rates on the main rivers during march the currently proposed studies and other ongoing studies will further add to our knowledge of the reproductive and movement patterns of invasive carp in the unique habitats of louisiana the proposed projects in FY 24 will further expand the telemetry study into the red river investigate the potential spawning habits of invasive carp investigate the impact of invasive carp on native zooplankton and ichthyoplankton develop technology to increase the identification speed of plankton samples and investigate the use of silver carp as a crawfish bait these projects when combined with previous projects will help develop markets for the invasive carp as well as aid in locating spawning habitats to help direct removal efforts