Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2020IL103AIS

Water Quality as a Deterrent to the Movement of Invasive Fishes in the Illinois Waterway: Implications for the Upper Mississippi Basin

Institute: Illinois
USGS Grant Number: G21AP10174
Year Established: 2020 Start Date: 2020-01-01 End Date: 2020-01-02
Total Federal Funds: $240,624 Total Non-Federal Funds: $243,976

Principal Investigators: Cory Suski

Project Summary: Invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems. Bigheaded carp are two invasive species that have potential to negatively impact the Great Lakes should they enter. This proposal tests the hypothesis that contaminant loads in the Illinois Waterway are preventing further spread of bighead carp. This will be accomplished through a combination of behavioral and physiological assays in both the laboratory and field. When combined, results will inform management options about factors that infer resistance to spread in bigheaded carp in the Upper Mississippi Basin, and help guide management strategies for carp in several states.