Evaluation of fish passage for assessment of invasive carp deterrents at locks in the upper Mississippi River

Abstract

Invasive carps are established in the upper, middle, and lower Mississippi River and their expansion upstream threatens a variety of aquatic ecosystem services including fishing and recreational boating. The physical and operational characteristics of Lock and Dam (LD) 19 restrict upstream movement of fishes because the only upstream fish passage route is through the lock chamber. This restriction might be hindering consistent reproduction and recruitment of invasive carps enough to reduce their abundance upstream from LD 19. Locks and Dams 5, 14, and 15 (upriver from LD 19) are infrequently at open-condition and may also be limiting the continued upstream expansion of invasive carps. Upstream passage of fishes at these locations would be limited to the lock chamber for the majority of the year (Wilcox et al. 2004; Bouska 2021).