The Potential Use of Chemical Stimuli with Other Control Strategies to Develop an Integrated Pest Management Tool for the Control of Asian Carps

A combination of approaches is currently being developed as part of an integrated pest management strategy for the control of Asian carp. These studies are designed to identify chemical stimuli that can attract bighead and silver carp into areas where new targeted control tools that are currently under development can be used. Bighead and silver carp have been found to positively respond both physiologically and behaviorally to an algae stimulus. This food stimulus has been found to be highly stimulatory to bighead and silver carp in laboratory and mesocosm tests and induced prolonged attraction in the area of release.  We initiated field studies for conditioning wild fish response to feeding stations along the Missouri River to test the effectiveness as a means of inducing aggregations of carp where various control techniques such as trapping can be used.  In addition to quantifying feeding response, we are evaluating the response of other fish species, including grass carp to the algal attractant.  When combined with other control technologies such as harvesting and microparticle toxins, the addition of a food stimulus could potentially prove very effective as part of an integrated pest management program for controlling Asian carp.