TY - JOUR
T1 - Juvenile Silver Carp and Bighead Carp as Forage for Predatory Fish in the LaGrange Reach of the Illinois River
AU - Anderson, Cory A.
AU - Anderson, Rebekah L.
AU - Wang, Jun
AU - Gillespie, Neil
AU - Lampo, Eli G.
AU - McClelland, Nerissa N.
AU - Solomon, Levi E.
AU - Pendleton, Rich
AU - Lamer, James T.
N1 - We especially thank Brent Knights (U.S. Geological Survey, La Crosse, Wisconsin) for his reviews and subsequent improvements of early drafts of the manuscript. We also thank Brooke Bryant-Myres, Katie Mainor, Ashley Stanley, and the countless number of undergraduate volunteers from the Western Illinois University Student Subunit of the American Fisheries Society for assisting with field and laboratory work. This project would not have been possible without resources from Western Illinois University and the Kibbe Field Station (Warsaw, Illinois) as well as funding and support from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (La Crosse, Wisconsin). The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Government. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. There is no conflict of interest declared in this article.
We especially thank Brent Knights (U.S. Geological Survey, La Crosse, Wisconsin) for his reviews and subsequent improvements of early drafts of the manuscript. We also thank Brooke Bryant‐Myres, Katie Mainor, Ashley Stanley, and the countless number of undergraduate volunteers from the Western Illinois University Student Subunit of the American Fisheries Society for assisting with field and laboratory work. This project would not have been possible without resources from Western Illinois University and the Kibbe Field Station (Warsaw, Illinois) as well as funding and support from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (La Crosse, Wisconsin). The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Government. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. There is no conflict of interest declared in this article.
PY - 2023/2
Y1 - 2023/2
N2 - Increasing numbers of Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Bighead Carp H. nobilis (commonly called “bigheaded carp”) in the Illinois River have led to concerns about the impact that their invasion has on native food web dynamics. Bigheaded Carp recruited in large numbers in the LaGrange Reach of the Illinois River during the summer of 2014. This provided an opportunity to determine whether native piscivorous fish prey upon invasive carp when they are abundant. Using electrofishing and fyke nets in the LaGrange Reach (August 1–November 8, 2014), we sampled native predatory fish (n = 1,472) for stomach content analysis. Fish community data from the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program’s Long-Term Resource Monitoring was used to quantify prey abundance (fish < 100 mm) in the study area and indicated that bigheaded carp represented 9% of available prey. Stomach content analysis revealed that the frequency of occurrence of juvenile bigheaded carp was greater than 15% in Shortnose Gar Lepisosteus platostomus, White Bass Morone chrysops, Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus, Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus, Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu, Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, White Crappie Pomoxis annularis, Yellow Perch Perca flavescens, Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris, Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens, and Yellow Bass Morone mississippiensis. Predators sampled in August and September foraged more heavily on juvenile bigheaded carp than those sampled in October and November. Electivity analysis suggested that juvenile bigheaded carp were selected over native forage by White Bass, Black Crappie, and Shortnose Gar, as these predators continued consuming them even as availability declined. Our results imply that native piscivores in the Illinois River consume and sometimes prefer juvenile bigheaded carp as prey. These results suggest that native predators might play a role in regulating bigheaded carp recruitment and that negative impacts to predators in areas of dense carp populations might be somewhat mitigated by the consumption of juvenile bigheaded carp.
AB - Increasing numbers of Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Bighead Carp H. nobilis (commonly called “bigheaded carp”) in the Illinois River have led to concerns about the impact that their invasion has on native food web dynamics. Bigheaded Carp recruited in large numbers in the LaGrange Reach of the Illinois River during the summer of 2014. This provided an opportunity to determine whether native piscivorous fish prey upon invasive carp when they are abundant. Using electrofishing and fyke nets in the LaGrange Reach (August 1–November 8, 2014), we sampled native predatory fish (n = 1,472) for stomach content analysis. Fish community data from the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program’s Long-Term Resource Monitoring was used to quantify prey abundance (fish < 100 mm) in the study area and indicated that bigheaded carp represented 9% of available prey. Stomach content analysis revealed that the frequency of occurrence of juvenile bigheaded carp was greater than 15% in Shortnose Gar Lepisosteus platostomus, White Bass Morone chrysops, Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus, Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus, Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu, Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, White Crappie Pomoxis annularis, Yellow Perch Perca flavescens, Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris, Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens, and Yellow Bass Morone mississippiensis. Predators sampled in August and September foraged more heavily on juvenile bigheaded carp than those sampled in October and November. Electivity analysis suggested that juvenile bigheaded carp were selected over native forage by White Bass, Black Crappie, and Shortnose Gar, as these predators continued consuming them even as availability declined. Our results imply that native piscivores in the Illinois River consume and sometimes prefer juvenile bigheaded carp as prey. These results suggest that native predators might play a role in regulating bigheaded carp recruitment and that negative impacts to predators in areas of dense carp populations might be somewhat mitigated by the consumption of juvenile bigheaded carp.
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U2 - 10.1002/nafm.10681
DO - 10.1002/nafm.10681
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85118384210
SN - 0275-5947
VL - 43
SP - 164
EP - 175
JO - North American Journal of Fisheries Management
JF - North American Journal of Fisheries Management
IS - 1
ER -