An Overview of the Development of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Asian Carp Program

Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Asian Carp Program has been created in response to the threat of invasion by Asian carps in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes. To address the threat of Asian carps, Fisheries and Oceans has developed an early detection surveillance program. Potential early detection sites were first identified by modelling tributary characteristics, then assessing Great Lakes tributaries to scout for suitable habitat. Field sampling in 2013 resulted in the final selection of the early detection surveillance sites for Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and the Huron-Erie corridor. Early detection sampling techniques combine both traditional sampling gears, as well as environmental DNA sampling. A variety of traditional gears are being incorporated into the surveillance program and, for consistency, many of the deployment techniques have been coordinated with the current Asian carp sampling practices by US state and federal agencies. This presentation will highlight the steps taken in the development and delivery of Fisheries and Ocean’s Asian Carp Program, from early detection site selection, to sampling gear and techniques used to target Asian carps.