A Multi-Agency Partnership to Develop a Fish Telemetry and Visualization Database for Asian Carp

Acoustic telemetry networks are routinely used to monitor the movement of many fish species including, most recently, invasive Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Bighead Carp H. nobilis (Asian Carp; AC). For nearly 10 years, AC have been tracked and monitored by multiple agencies throughout the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and has generated vast amounts of detection data. Because AC move through state and federal boundaries, close collaborations with multiple states, federal agencies, and universities are necessary for successful monitoring and management of AC. To better understand AC movement related to river conditions, we have partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop a public fish telemetry database with visualization tools for AC in the Mississippi River Basin. Currently, this database includes over 1,500 fish tagged with Vemco® acoustic transmitters from Southern Illinois University (SIU), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is supplemented with environmental data from SIU and USGS river gaging stations. This project will develop web-based tools to compute fish movement parameters related to river variables (e.g., discharge, temperature, or turbidity) to better manage mobile fish species that may cross jurisdictional boundaries, including AC.