: Using Remote Sensing Technology to Evaluate the Efficacy of Water Gun Technology and Increased Water Velocity for Fish Clearing Operations in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates three electric barriers (Barrier 1, 2A, and 2B) in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which are intended to eliminate inter-basin transfer of Asian Carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes.  In October 2011, Barrier 2B was scheduled to be shut down for regular maintenance and Barrier 2A would become the primary barrier.  Because of a 200 foot non-electrified zone between 2A and 2B exists, fish clearing needed to occur.  To clear fish, we increased water velocities at the barriers and used water gun technology.  The efficacy of fish clearing operations was evaluated with hydroacoustics, side-scan sonar, and DIDSON, which allowed >98% of the water column to be surveyed during each 20 minute event.  The results indicated that water gun technology was successful at clearing fish.   Increased water velocities only hindered our evaluations by interfering with remote sensing technology.  The combination of increased flows, water gun deployment, remote sensing gears to evaluate the success of fish clearing techniques is the first of its kind.  This technology can be implemented quicker and with significant cost savings as compared to a complex application of fish toxicant.