Abstract:
Prussian Carp Carassius gibelio, also referred to as Gibel Carp, is a destructive aquatic invasive species, recently, found in Alberta Canada. Three-pass electrofishing is a potential approach to control some aquatic invasive fish species in stream habitats. The objectives of this study were to: 1) determine the efficacy of this strategy to control Prussian Carp in connected streams; and, 2) assess whether removal success was influenced by population size or the distance to the introduction site. We sampled sites using electrofishing in tributaries of the Red Deer River in both the summer and fall. Prussian Carp were detected at all sites prior to removal, with > 90 % probability of detection of this species within the first 120 m of electroshocking efforts. Overall, removal was deemed unsuccessful. We found that abundances of Prussian Carp were significantly higher post-removal. Removal success was significantly related to distance to the introduction site, suggesting that removal may be useful in targeted situations close to the edge of the invasion front. Additional removal and control strategies are needed by managers.
Citation: Card, J., Hasler, C., Ruppert, J., Donadt, C.* and M.S. Poesch. (2020) A three-pass electrofishing removal strategy is not effective for eradication of Prussian Carp in a North American stream network. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 11(2): 485-493.
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*Lab members: Jamie Card, Jonathan Ruppert, Caitlyn Donadt and Mark Poesch. Check out opportunities in the lab!