Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2017

AUTHORS: Wes Sleeper, Missouri Department of Conservation and Southeast Missouri State University; Quinton Phelps, Missouri Department of Conservation; Dave Herzog, Missouri Department of Conservation

ABSTRACT: Black carp, (Mylopharyngodon piceus), were first introduced into the United States during the 1970’s and 1980’s in aquaculture facilities for biological control of snails. However, black carp managed to escape these facilities and now inhabit the rivers of the Mississippi River Drainage Basin. Collections of adult black carp by commercial fishers are becoming increasingly common and widespread, but it was not until October of 2015 that the first evidence of reproduction was documented in North American waters. Two age-0 black carp were collected from a tributary of the Middle Mississippi River located just south of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Current ongoing sampling efforts of this system have yielded an additional 70 age-0 black carp in the fall of 2016 ranging from 22mm to 78mm. The length distributions of the black carp show multiple cohorts and provide evidence of multiple successful spawning events in the summer and fall of 2016. Further sampling in areas within the Middle Mississippi River flood plain have also be conducted, but age-0 black carp have yet to be captured. Continued sampling efforts, paired with environmental DNA sampling by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will take place over the course of the next several years to determine the extent of reproductive success. To date, this is the only documented reproduction of black carp in North America and locating and removing these invaders from the landscape could slow or eliminate their spread into the Upper Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.