Hydraulic and water-quality data collection for the investigation of Great Lakes tributaries for Asian carp spawning and egg-transport suitability

Abstract

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Application of the FluEgg model to predict transport of Asian carp eggs in the Saint Joseph River (Great Lakes tributary)

“…The reported peak transport time from the Berrien Springs Dam to the settling zone where the Saint Joseph River transitions to backwater conditions from Lake Michigan (36.8 km downstream from Berrien Springs Dam) was approximately 16 h with leading and trailing edge transport times of 15 and 20 h, respectively . Comparing the egg travel times with the estimated hatching time for silver carp at typical summertime water temperatures (18.7 h at 26.5°C), Murphy and Jackson (2013) concluded that only a small fraction of the eggs might hatch before reaching the lake. However, the authors suggested that lower flow rates and higher water temperatures may increase the fraction of the eggs that could potentially hatch before reaching Lake Michigan .…”

“…In the new version of FluEgg, the approximate hatching time is calculated based on the temperature averaged over all the cells. FluEgg uses an empirical function derived from the compilation completed by Murphy and Jackson (2013) on hatching times as a function of temperature. For a given species the hatching time is calculated based on the temperature averaged over all the cells as follows: …”

“…Previous studies have identified suitable spawning rivers with a first-order assessment based on estimated river temperature and velocity, and undammed river length (Kolar et al, 2007;Kocovsky et al, 2012). Murphy and Jackson (2013) evaluated the shear velocity (an indicator of turbulence) and the egg settling velocity and travel times to assess the potential of Asian carp spawning and successful recruitment in four tributaries of the Great Lakes (Milwaukee, Saint Joseph, Maumee, and Sandusky Rivers). However, more accurate analyses of tributaries suitable for spawning and successful recruitment should be based on predictions made from a holistic assessment incorporating river hydrodynamics, water temperature, and egg development dynamics (Garcia et al, 2013).…”

“…The primary objective of this article is to describe how the FluEgg model was used to simulate the transport and dispersion of silver carp eggs in the Lower Saint Joseph River, a Great Lakes tributary identified by Murphy and Jackson (2013) as potentially at risk for Asian carp spawning and recruitment. Two approaches to input the river hydraulic data into FluEgg were explored: one uses observed acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the other uses simulated hydraulic data.…”

Modelling habitat suitability for fish in the fluvial and lacustrine regions of a new Eco-City

“…As a consequence, lake connected rivers have significant benefits on the carp life cycle. The U.S. Geological Survey study identified that the Maumee and other rivers flowing into Lake Erie have the right conditions to serve as spawning sites for Asian carps (Murphy and Jackson, 2013).…”