Asian Carp Sampling Summary - Week of May 16, 2011

A sampling summary for the week of May 16, 2011 is included below.  Note that these data are field summaries that are provisional and subject to revision pending thorough review.

Bottom Line: No Asian carp were captured or observed upstream of the Dispersal Barrier nor were any found in new locations downstream of the Barrier.

Fixed Site Sampling Upstream of the Dispersal Barrier

Site 1: Lake Calumet

Site 2: Little Calumet River

Site 3: Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC), South Branch Chicago River

Site 4: North Branch Chicago River, North Shore Channel

Site 5: North Shore Channel

One boat and crew from USFWS – Columbia sampled the five fixed sites above the Dispersal Barrier on Tuesday -Thursday, May 17-19.  This completed fixed site sampling initiated the previous week.  Sample effort included a total of 50 electrofishing runs (15 minutes each; 12.5 hours total).  A combined total of 1,563 fish representing 25 species were sampled during the effort.  No Asian carp were captured or seen.

A catch summary is listed below.

Electrofishing

Species	Site 1	Site 2	Site 3	Site 4	Site 5	All sites
Gizzard shad >6.0 in.	80	89		6	32	207
Gizzard shad <6.0 in.	39	257	66		115	477
Alewife	11	74			177	262
Common carp	47	144	25	9	21	246
Goldfish		33				33
Grass carp	1					1
Freshwater drum	11	4				15
Black buffalo		2				2
Quillback	26					26
Channel catfish			2			2
Black bullhead			1			1
Largemouth bass	14	38	23	2	39	116
Smallmouth bass	7					7
Bluegill	4	33	17	2	21	77
Pumpkinseed		9	7		17	33
Golden shiner		1			5	6
Bluntnose minnow		1				1
Fathead minnow					1	1
Emerald shiner	7	2				9
Walleye		1				1
Yellow perch	2				1	3
Brook silverside		3				3
White sucker		8		6	7	21
Spotted sucker		2				2
White bass	6	3				9
Yellow bass			2			2
All species	255	704	143	25	436	1563

eDNA Monitoring Project

One IDNR boat and crew obtained 120 water samples for eDNA analysis from the North Shore Channel on Monday, May 16.  Samples were filtered at the USEPA lab in Chicago and forwarded to ERDC in Vicksburg, MS for analysis.  Results of eDNA analysis will be reported on the USACE web site listed below as they become available.

http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/AsianCarp/eDNA.htm

Barrier Defense Asian Carp Removal Project

Dresden Island Pool:  10-24 miles downstream from Dispersal Barrier

Marseilles Pool:  24-51 miles downstream from Dispersal Barrier

Starved Rock Pool:  51-65 miles downstream from Dispersal Barrier

Five commercial fishing boats and crews and five IDNR observers fished a combined 30,100 yards of net from Tuesday-Friday, May 17-20.  Netting effort focused on backwater areas of Marseilles Pool near Morris (25,300 yards of net), but also took place in lower Dresden Island Pool (1,600 yards of net) and Starved Rock Pool (3,200 yards of net).  A total of 1,604 bighead carp and 1,602 silver carp were removed during the effort.  The combined harvest for both species was 63,608 pounds and 60% of this total was taken from the Marseilles Pool.  A cumulative removal summary for all locations combined is included below.

QUICK SUMMARY:
Number of Days Fished	12	days
Number of Net Crews	60	crew-days
Miles of Nets Fished	51.8	miles
Number of Bighead Carp	6,521	fish
Number of Silver Carp	3,336	fish
Number of Grass Carp	5	fish
Number of Asian Carp (AC)	9,862	fish
Tons of AC Harvested	103.4	tons
Average number AC per 1,000 yards net	108.2	fish

Gear Evaluation Study
One INHS boat and crew sampled with multiple gears at Treadway and Lilly lakes in the LaGrange Pool (river mile 80.2-157.6; Dispersal Barrier is at mile 296.1) of the Illinois River from Monday – Friday, May 16-20, 2011.   Twelve types of gear were evaluated at each location.  A combined total of 353 fish representing 34 species and 2 hybrid groups were sampled, including 65 Asian carp.  Of the Asian carp, 33 were silvers, 22 were bigheads, 6 were obvious bighead x silver carp hybrids, and 4 were grass carp.

A summary of sampling effort for each site and a catch summary for all gears combined is listed below.

Gear/Method	Effort
DC electrofishing	6 x 15-min. runs
Trammel net w/ pounding	4 sets
Small mesh gill net -sinking	4 x 4-hr. sets
Small mesh gill net -floating	4 x 4-hr. sets
Large mesh gill net -sinking	4 x 4-hr. sets
Small mesh hoop net	8 net-nights
Large mesh hoop net	8 net-nights
Trap net	8 net-nights
Mini fyke net	8 net-nights
Small mesh purse seine	4 hauls
Large mesh purse seine	4 hauls
Hydroacoustics	30 min. run

	LaGrange Pool
	Treadway	Lily	All
Species	Lake	Lake	sites
Shortnose gar	25	19	44
Shorthead redhorse	30	10	40
Silver carp	26	7	33
Goldeye	7	23	30
Bighead carp	8	14	22
Freshwater drum	10	11	21
Smallmouth buffalo	6	11	17
Black crappie	5	11	16
Gizzard shad	9	7	16
White bass	8	4	12
Bluegill	3	8	11
Sauger	6	5	11
Common carp	3	7	10
Bigmouth buffalo	1	7	8
White crappie	1	6	7
Bighead X Silver carp hybrid		6	6
Red shiner	1	5	6
River carpsucker	3	2	5
Bowfin	4		4
Channel catfish	2	2	4
Emerald shiner		4	4
Grass carp	4		4
Largemouth bass	1	3	4
Longnose gar	2	1	3
Skipjack herring	1	2	3
Brook silverside		2	2
Bluntnose minnow	1		1
Brown bullhead	1		1
Flahead catfish		1	1
Golden shiner	1		1
Green sunfish		1	1
Highfin carpsucker		1	1
Quillback	1		1
Spotted gar		1	1
White bass X Striped bass hybrid	1		1
Yellow bass		1	1
All species	171	182	353