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Movement, habitat use, and survival of juvenile grass carp in an Appalachian reservoir

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Abstract

Grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella have been widely introduced in aquatic ecosystems to combat outbreaks of problem aquatic plants. However, the extent to which introduced carp stray from intended habitats and ecosystems is frequently unevaluated. Grass carp were stocked into a temperate riverine and montane reservoir (Claytor Lake, VA USA) to control a rapidly spreading Hydrilla verticillata infestation. Fish introductions sparked concern that grass carp might exit the reservoir and impact adjacent river ecosystems and native plants. We conducted a 2-y telemetry study concurrent with annual grass carp stockings in Claytor Lake to investigate migration potential, habitat use, and annual survival of recently introduced grass carp. We radio-tagged 34 and 45 juvenile grass carp in 2011 and 2012, respectively. In both years, grass carp movements were highest during the first month post-stocking and declined dramatically thereafter, presumably due to carp settling in areas with high hydrilla biomass. Only 3% of radio-tagged grass carp exited the reservoir upriver over the study period. Statistical modeling indicated grass carp movements were driven largely by temperature, while other climatic (e.g., wind speed and barometric pressure) and habitat variables (depth, vegetation coverage) were occasionally also important. Year-1 survival of grass carp was 44% for the 2011 cohort, and 25% for the 2012 cohort. Even though young grass carp did not express an inclination for out-reservoir migrations during the study, these patterns may change as fish approach sexual maturity, hydrilla coverage declines, and divergent climate variations occur. We recommend managers continue monitoring grass carp movements alongside changes to the spatial and temporal dynamics of hydrilla in the reservoir over time.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported with funds provided by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through a Sport Fish Restoration Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Additional funding was provided by the Government of Pulaski County Virginia, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech. We thank Claytor Lake State Park, Appalachian Power, Friends of Claytor Lake, and the Claytor Lake Technical Advisory for collaboration throughout this project. Bill Kittrell, George Palmer, and many other fisheries staff members from VDGIF assisted with planning, stocking, and radio-tagging efforts of grass carp. Finally, we thank Scott Riley and Preston Chrisman, Amanda Graumann, Ben Dickinson, Bonnie Meyers, Nate Adkins, John Woodward, Jason Emmel, Joey Schmitt, Bill Bond for field assistance at various points throughout our study. This study was conducted under Virginia Tech IACUC protocol 12-035-FIW. ALR was supported by the Agricuiltural Experiment Station of the University of California, Project CA-D-WFB-2467-H, and by the California Trout and Peter B. Moyle Endowment for Coldwater Fish Conservation.

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  1. Matthew A. Weberg

    Present address: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Grand Marais, MN, 55604, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Matthew A. Weberg, Brian R. Murphy & Andrew L. Rypel

  2. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA

    John R. Copeland

  3. Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Andrew L. Rypel

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Suppl. Fig. 1

Habitat classification map for Claytor Lake including % total reservoir habitat represented by each habitat type, and number of radio-tagged grass carp locations (percent of total locations in parentheses) observed for each habitat type, by stocking cohort (PPTX 151 kb)

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Weberg, M.A., Murphy, B.R., Copeland, J.R. et al. Movement, habitat use, and survival of juvenile grass carp in an Appalachian reservoir. Environ Biol Fish 103, 495–507 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-020-00953-0

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