Use of Electric Barriers to Limit the Spread of Invasive Fish

The National Invasive Species Act of 1996 authorized the Corps of Engineers to construct an aquatic nuisance species dispersal barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a man-made canal that links the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. Members of a multi-agency advisory panel evaluated potential barrier methods and recommended an electric barrier for its commercial availability, minimal interference with navigation and potential effectiveness. Built as a demonstration, the original array was energized in April 2002 and had an expected service life of 3 to 5 years. The movement of two species of Asian carp (silver carp (Hypothalmichthyes molitrix) and bighead carp (Hypothalmichthyes nobilis) from the Illinois River north towards the Sanitary and Ship Canal spurred construction of two larger and more powerful arrays. The first of these went online in April 2009; the second became fully operational April 7, 2011. Monitoring of barrier performance, using tagged common carp Cypinus carpio, environmental DNA, tagged Asian carp and hydroacoustics, suggests that commercial navigation and extreme environmental conditions may adversely affect the effectiveness of the barriers. This presentation will discuss the history of the Canal, the development of the barrier and the challenges to fully preventing the movement of aquatic invasive species through this commercial navigation corridor.