Scott F. Collins

Catch Rates and Cost Effectiveness of Entrapment Gears for Asian Carp: A Comparison of Pound Nets, Hoop Nets, and Fyke Nets in Backwater Lakes of the Illinois River

AbstractWe compared three entrapment gears to determine which method was the most effective for capturing invasive Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp H. molitrix in terms of numbers of fish captured and labor invested. Gears were deployed concurrently in two backwater lakes of the Illinois River during the summers of 2012–2014. Overall, the nightly catch rates of all fishes, Bighead Carp, and Silver Carp were one to three orders of magnitude greater in pound nets than in either fyke nets or hoop nets. Pound nets collected larger Bighead Carp than hoop nets and fyke nets. Hoop nets were ineffective at catching Asian carp in backwater lakes. Estimation of the effort required to deploy, maintain, and remove each gear type indicated that pound nets were the most cost-effective gear due to their high catch rates of Asian carp relative to the labor hours invested to collect the catch. Pound nets appear to be an effective means of removing Asian carp in backwater lake habitats of the Illinoi...

Invasive planktivores as mediators of organic matter exchanges within and across ecosystems

Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) are an invasive planktivore that can greatly deplete planktonic resources. Due to the inefficient conversion of food into fish tissue, large portions of consumed materials are egested and shunted to benthic habitats. We explored how bighead carp alter pools of organic matter between planktonic and benthic habitats, and across ecosystem boundaries. Here, we report evidence from a manipulative experiment demonstrating that bighead carp greatly reapportion pools of organic matter from planktonic to benthic habitats to such a degree that additional effects propagated across ecological boundaries into terrestrial ecosystems. Strong direct consumption by bighead carp reduced filamentous algae, biomass and production of zooplankton, and production of a native planktivorous fish within planktonic habitats. Reduced herbivory indirectly increased phytoplankton (chlorophyll a). Direct consumption of organic matter by bighead carp supported high carp production and concomitant losses of materials due to egestion. Perhaps in response to organic matter subsidies provided by fish egestion, ponds having bighead carp had higher standing crop biomass of Chironomidae larvae, as well as cross-boundary fluxes of their adult life stage. In contrast, we detected reduced cross-boundary fluxes of adult Chaoboridae midges in ponds having bighead carp. Consideration of bighead carp as mediators of organic matter exchanges provides a clearer framework for predicting the direct and extended impacts of these invasive planktivores in freshwater ecosystems. The perception of bighead carp must evolve beyond competitors for planktonic resources, to mediators and processors of nutrients and energy within and across ecosystems.

A Comparison of Sampling Gears for Capturing Juvenile Silver Carp in River–Floodplain Ecosystems

AbstractEffective management and monitoring programs require confidence regarding basic biological sampling. Gear comparisons are often required to determine the most effective techniques. Such is the case for populations of invasive Asian carps Hypophthalmichthys spp., which have recently occurred in large numbers throughout sections of the Mississippi River basin. We tested five gears (mini-fyke nets, beach seine, purse seine, pulsed-DC electrofishing, and gill net) that targeted juvenile (age 0) Silver Carp H. molitrix at sites along the Illinois River during 2014 and 2015 to determine the most effective ones for age-0 Silver Carp. We considered the most cost-effective gear to be the one that provided the largest catch at a minimal expenditure of labor. Mini-fyke nets were the most effective at collecting large numbers of age-0 Silver Carp, followed in decreasing order by beach seines, pulsed-DC electrofishing, purse seines, and gill nets. The smallest Silver Carp were caught in beach seines and the la...

A response‐surface examination of competition and facilitation between native and invasive juvenile fishes

Summary Ecological theory has long recognized the importance of positive and negative species interactions as drivers of food web structure, yet many studies have only focused on competition. Because competitive and facilitative mechanisms operate simultaneously, but through different food web pathways, the balance of their combined effects can produce complex and variable responses. We used a response-surface experimental design to assess the roles of negative (e.g., intra-, interspecific competition) and positive (e.g., facilitation) interactions between native and invasive juvenile fishes. We tested whether these interactions alter the densities of planktonic and benthic invertebrates to evaluate the magnitude and mechanism(s) influencing the acceptance or resistance of biological invaders. Interactions between bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) or common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were evaluated in mesocosms. Intraspecific interactions were 1.5 to 2.4 times stronger than interspecific interactions between carp species. The only instance of interspecific competition resulted in bighead carp reducing the daily growth of bluegill, whereas the reciprocal interaction resulted in facilitation. Facilitation occurred when bluegill increased the daily growth of low density bighead carp treatments, despite increased numbers of fishes. Bighead carp also increased densities of benthic Chironomidae larvae, which were subsequently consumed by bluegill, but did not result in enhanced bluegill growth. These suites of interactions were not observed between common and bighead carp. Our response-surface design proved useful for comparing the relative magnitude of intra- vs. interspecific competition, identifying facilitation among species, and tracing attendant effects on invertebrate communities. By accounting for the directionality of interactions within our experimental framework and tracking responses of prey at lower trophic levels, we provide a clearer understanding of how competitive effects and stressed consumers alter prey communities and influence facilitation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The release and regulation of rotifers: examining the predatory effects of invasive juvenile common and bighead carp

Ecosystem level effects of common (Cyprinus carpio) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) have generally focused on adult life stages. The objective of our mesocosm study was to investigate and contrast the roles of juvenile common and bighead carp in structuring planktonic invertebrate assemblages, with focus on rotifers. We examined whether predation by juvenile carp was indiscriminate or size-selective with respect to prey size. Furthermore, we examined how changes to large and small prey influenced the potential for compensatory increases of some taxa within prey assemblages. Both species of juvenile carp reduced large zooplankton taxa. However, rotifer responses were variable depending on the taxon and predator combination. Juvenile common carp enhanced abundance for Polyartha and Squatinella, but most taxa were unaffected. Juvenile bighead carp had a more varied effect on rotifer abundance, having no effect on most, reducing Keratella and enhancing Anuraeopsis. We also estimated net filtration volume of the zooplankton community for each of the treatments and found partial compensation in net filtration because of the increased abundance of a few rotifer taxa, but this reduction did not match the depletion of macrozooplankton. Rotifers that benefitted from the presence of fish predators likely responded positively because of reduced predation by mesopredators, because of their short generation times, and/or from reduced competition.

Does fish herding enhance catch rates and detection of invasive bigheaded carp

Fish herding (driving fish into nets) is used by commercial fishers to increase harvest of invasive bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.), yet has not been widely adopted for fisheries monitoring purposes. We conducted an experiment to assess whether fish herding using percussive sound or electrical stimuli can enhance catch rates and detection of bigheaded carp and other fishes in surface-to-bottom gill nets. Catch rates (fish net set−1) from traditional gill net sets where no herding method was applied were compared to sets combined with either sound stimuli (physical impacts to the boat hull and water surface to produce percussive sound) or electricity produced from a pulsed-DC electrofisher to manipulate fish movements. For most species, herding increased catch rates and detection probability compared to control sets. Sound stimuli increased catch rates of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) by over three times, whereas electrical stimuli increased catch rates by over six times. Catch of Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) was highest in nets paired with sound stimuli. Herding methods also reduced the number of samples required to attain target detection probabilities for bigheaded carp. Herding techniques combined with gill netting may be a valuable option for targeted bigheaded carp sampling, especially when electrofishing or netting alone is ineffective for these evasive fishes. Synergistic methods may provide a cost effective means of improving detection probabilities for bigheaded carp at their invasion front or other locations where densities are low and uncertainty of capture is high.