Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2016

AUTHORS: Jaewoo Kim*, Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Nicholas E. Mandrak, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough; Jackson A. Gross, Conservation and Aquatic Nuisance Species Program, Smith-Root, Inc.

ABSTRACT: When dealing with invasive species, permanent barriers may be best in preventing fish movements; however, they may not be feasible due to various logistical constraints and/or costs. Alternatively, various non-permanent barriers using electricity, light, sound, pressure, and bubbles are being developed and deployed in efforts to limit the spread of aquatic invasive species or to achieve fish guidance and conservation. However, effectiveness of these barriers is quite variable, and testing is often lacking or limited to small-scale lab settings. To evaluate the effectiveness of non-permanent barriers in preventing fish movement, we conducted mesocosm studies in a large boat slip near Hamilton Harbour, Ontario, Canada. In 2014-2015, we deployed 12 acoustic receivers and tracked over 300 tagged freshwater fishes in the boat slip, which was divided in half by non-permanent barriers such as acoustic water gun, seismic boomer plates, bubble barriers, underwater speakers, underwater lights, delivering alarm cue, and electricity. Our results indicate that fishes were staying farther away from water gun and boomers when in operation. The results of 2014-2015 field seasons have important implications for evaluating management options to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species such as Asian carps.