Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2016

AUTHORS: Daniel Zielinski*, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology And Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center University of Minnesota, Vaughn Voller, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering University of Minnesota, Jan Hoover, Engineer Research and Development Center U.S. Army, Peter Sorensen, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology And Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center

ABSTRACT: To reach the Upper Mississippi River, Asian carps must first pass through its locks and dams which, depending on river stage and operating conditions, can create velocity fields that might deter fish passage. To address this possibility and the possibility that dam operating conditions might be modified to deter Asian carp passage while permitting many native fishes to pass, we developed an agent-based approach that uses three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. These models calculate and then use velocities through the dams along with fish swimming-fatigue calculations. To then test whether and how adult Asian carp might pass, the model is supplied with swimming performance data generated using a very large swim chamber to identify the paths of least resistance. Preliminary models suggest Lock and Dam #8 (Genoa, WI) may already stop up to 80% of adult Asian carp under worst case scenarios. In this talk we will discuss model development, initial findings, and how these models could be used to manipulate gate operation for management purposes. (Funded by Minnesota Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund).