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Establishment of invasive Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) in the Mississippi River basin: identifying sources and year classes contributing to recruitment

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Abstract

Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) was imported to the USA to control aquaculture pond snails. This species has escaped captivity and occurs in parts of the Mississippi River, several tributaries, and floodplain lakes, which is concerning due to potential competition with native fishes and predation on native mussels, many of which are imperiled. However, Black Carp captures have primarily been incidental by commercial fishers, and evidence of reproduction in the wild is limited. The objectives of this study were to assess relative abundance of aquaculture-origin and wild Black Carp using ploidy and otolith stable isotope analysis, identify spatial extent of natural reproduction using otolith microchemistry, assess age distributions of wild and aquaculture-source Black Carp to infer years in which natural reproduction occurred and timing of aquaculture escapement or introductions, and estimate size and age at maturation to assess whether recruitment to adulthood has occurred. Results revealed that Black Carp are established in parts of the Mississippi River basin based on findings that: (1) non-captive Black Carp primarily consist of fertile, naturally-reproduced fish, (2) reproduction has occurred in several rivers, (3) multiple year classes of wild fish are present, and (4) wild fish have recruited to adulthood. Multiple introductions or escapements of aquaculture-source fish into the wild, including both fertile and functionally sterile individuals, were also inferred. Individual growth appears to be rapid, although considerable variation was observed among fish. Additional study is suggested to refine understanding of where and when Black Carp reproduction is occurring in the Mississippi River basin.

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Data availability statement

The data set for this project is available in Whitledge et al (2021b) (https://doi.org/10.5066/P90DD6NT).

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported in part by funding from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (projects CAFWS-74 and CAFWS-86) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (grant award number F17AP00159) to Southern Illinois University. Additional fish collections, processing, and ploidy analysis were supported by Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, USGS, and USFWS funding. We thank the commercial fishers and agency biologists who reported Black Carp captures and provided specimens for the project. We also thank Keo Fish Farm (Keo, Arkansas) for providing fish for this study. Analyses of otolith and water samples were conducted at the Southern Illinois University Mass Spectrometry Facility, the University of Arizona Environmental Isotope Laboratory, the Environmental Analytical Facility at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, and the Center for Trace Analysis at the University of Southern Mississippi. We thank Jacob Norman, Neil Rude, Devon Oliver, Aaron Schiller, and Hudman Evans for assisting with preparation and analysis of otoliths and carcass processing and Joseph Deters, Cortney Broaddus, Joel Yeager, and Anne Herndon for assistance with carcass processing and age estimation. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Funding

This study was partially supported by grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (Projects CAFWS-74 and CAFWS-86) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Grant Award Number F17AP00159) to Southern Illinois University. Additional fish collections, processing, and ploidy analysis were supported by Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, USGS, and USFWS funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Southern Illinois University, 1125 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, IL, 62901-6511, USA

    Gregory W. Whitledge

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO, USA

    Patrick T. Kroboth & Duane C. Chapman

  3. Department of Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, USA

    Quinton E. Phelps

  4. Missouri Department of Conservation, Big Rivers and Wetlands Field Station, Cape Girardeau, MO, USA

    Wes Sleeper

  5. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, La Crosse Fish Health Center-Midwest Fisheries Center, Onalaska, WI, USA

    Jennifer Bailey

  6. U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, LA, USA

    Jill A. Jenkins

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  1. Gregory W. Whitledge
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Correspondence to Gregory W. Whitledge.

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Whitledge, G.W., Kroboth, P.T., Chapman, D.C. et al. Establishment of invasive Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) in the Mississippi River basin: identifying sources and year classes contributing to recruitment. Biol Invasions 24, 3885–3904 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02889-1

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