Hydraulic and Water-Quality Data Collection for the Investigation of Great Lakes Tributaries for Asian Carp Spawning and Egg-Transport Suitability

If the invasive Asian carps (bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilisand silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)
migrate to the Great Lakes, in spite of the efforts to stop their
advancement, these species will require the fast-flowing water
of the Great Lakes tributaries for spawning and recruitment
in order to establish a growing population. Two Lake Michigan tributaries (the Milwaukee and St. Joseph Rivers) and
two Lake Erie tributaries (the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers)
were investigated to determine if these tributaries possess the
hydraulic and water-quality characteristics to allow successful spawning of Asian carps. To examine this issue, standard
U.S. Geological Survey sampling protocols and instrumentation for discharge and water-quality measurements were used,
together with differential global positioning system data for
georeferencing. Non-standard data-processing techniques,
combined with detailed laboratory analysis of Asian carp
egg characteristics, allowed an assessment of the transport
capabilities of each of these four tributaries. This assessment
is based solely on analysis of observed data and did not utilize
the collected data for detailed transport modeling