The project’s goals are to enhance and/or develop new barriers using carbon dioxide to deter the range expansion of invasive bigheaded carp. These fish continue to migrate northward and present a danger to Minnesota’s aquatic habitat. The locks and dams on the Mississippi River present strategic bottlenecks where non physical deterrents can be deployed to prevent upstream carp migration.
This research project is currently in Phase III:
MAISRC researchers relied on a custom-built scale model lock and dam designed and constructed by the Applied Research and Engineering team at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL). Within design input from researchers, SAFL created a tank that included features like lock and miter gates, a spillway, and systems to manage water flow. After building the tank, SAFL transported it to the MAISRC containment lab and completed the installation. This collaboration shows how partnerships can bring specialized skills together to make important research discoveries possible.
MAISRC researchers will use this model lock and dam to assess how effective combined carbon dioxide and acoustic deterrents are in preventing bigheaded carp from passing through lock chambers. The researchers are conditioning the carp to associate sound with carbon dioxide, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of the acoustic deterrent while reducing the need for frequent CO2 application.
They are also investigating how water current affects the dispersal and flux of carbon dioxide in a large flume at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory. The migration of invasive bigheaded carp northward poses a threat to Minnesota's aquatic ecosystems. Although some deterrents, such as bioacoustics, have shown promise in laboratory settings, there's a need for improvements for practical deployment in the field.
This project focuses on understanding the sensory biology of carp and developing new technology to create a manageable model system suitable for field deployments, particularly targeting lock chambers as crucial bottlenecks. This research can benefit many entities, including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR), United States Geological Survey (USGS), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.