Flooding and dam operations facilitate rapid upstream migrations of native and invasive fish species on a regulated large river
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- Data Release: USGS data release - Data release associated with research that describes how major flooding and dam operations in the upper Mississippi River contribute to large upstream migrations of native paddlefish and invasive bigheaded carp
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Abstract
Dams commonly restrict fish movements in large rivers but can also help curtail the spread of invasive species, such as invasive bigheaded carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp). To determine how dams in the upper Mississippi River (UMR) affect large-scale invasive and native fish migrations, we tracked American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) and bigheaded carp across > 600 river km (rkm) and 16 navigation locks and dams (LD) of the UMR during 2 years with contrasting water levels. In 2022, a low-water year, both native paddlefish and invasive bigheaded carp had low passage rates (4% and 0.6% respectively) through LD15, a movement bottleneck being studied for invasive carp control. In contrast, flooding in 2023 led to open-river conditions across multiple dams simultaneously, allowing 53% of paddlefish and 46% of bigheaded carp detected in Pool 16 to move upstream through LD15. Bigheaded carp passed upstream through LD15 rapidly (μ = 32 rkm per day) a maximum of 381 rkm, whereas paddlefish moved an average of 9 upstream rkm per day (maximum of 337 rkm). Our results can inform managers examining trade-offs between actions that enhance native fish passage or deter movements of invasive species. This understanding is critical because current climate change models project increases in flooding events like that observed during 2023.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Flooding and dam operations facilitate rapid upstream migrations of native and invasive fish species on a regulated large river |
| Series title | Scientific Reports |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41598-024-70076-4 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Year Published | 2024 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Nature |
| Contributing office(s) | Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center |
| Description | 20609, 13 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin |
| Other Geospatial | Upper Mississippi River |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |