The BioAcoustic Fish Fence (BAFF; Fish Guidance Systems Ltd.) is a multi-modal deterrent that utilizes a combination of lights, sound, and bubbles to guide fish away from a location. An experimental deployment of a BAFF is currently ongoing at Barkley Lock and Dam on the Cumberland River near Grand Rivers, KY. This dataset includes information derived from two telemetry arrays (i.e., VEMCO and HTI) deployed in the vicinity of Barkley Lock and Dam to evaluate fish movement and response to the BAFF. Silver carp, grass carp, and native fish species were detected with this system.

This dataset assesses the responses of native (largemouth bass Micropterus salmoide and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus) and invasive (silver carp Hypophthalmichthys. Molitrix) fishes to an acoustic stimulus (playback of a 100 hp boat motor. Fish were collected from the Illinois River and Emiquon Preserve and implanted with a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag. Fish movement was monitored using PIT antennas installed in a water control structure (WCS) that connects the Emiquon Preserve to the Illinois River.

This dataset assesses the responses of native (largemouth bass Micropterus salmoide and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus) and invasive (silver carp Hypophthalmichthys. Molitrix) fishes to an acoustic stimulus (playback of a 100 hp boat motor. Fish were collected from the Illinois River and Emiquon Preserve and implanted with a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag. Fish movement was monitored using PIT antennas installed in a water control structure (WCS) that connects the Emiquon Preserve to the Illinois River.

While recording fish habitat use via electronic sensors, biologgers can also be viewed as autonomous environmental monitoring systems with the organism as a vehicle. This dual perspective has provided novel results from marine ecosystems but has not been applied to freshwater ecosystems. To understand limitations in freshwater, we evaluated miniature depth and temperature recorders, as aquatic monitoring systems in Lake Erie. As part of an acoustic telemetry study, biologgers were implanted in a subsample of walleye, Sander vitreus in 2014. Biologgers were equipped with sensors capable of measuring water temperature and depth at half-hour intervals for up to a year. Recaptures provided six biologgers for analysis of seasonal temperature patterns and lake stratification, which are key variables for understanding dimictic lakes.

While recording fish habitat use via electronic sensors, biologgers can also be viewed as autonomous environmental monitoring systems with the organism as a vehicle. This dual perspective has provided novel results from marine ecosystems but has not been applied to freshwater ecosystems. To understand limitations in freshwater, we evaluated miniature depth and temperature recorders, as aquatic monitoring systems in Lake Erie. As part of an acoustic telemetry study, biologgers were implanted in a subsample of walleye, Sander vitreus in 2014. Biologgers were equipped with sensors capable of measuring water temperature and depth at half-hour intervals for up to a year. Recaptures provided six biologgers for analysis of seasonal temperature patterns and lake stratification, which are key variables for understanding dimictic lakes.

Locks and dams are possible management points to block the spread of invasive Asian carps in the United States. Infusion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into water is one deterrent strategy being considered at navigational structures to reduce upstream fish passage that would not directly interfere with lock and dam operations. The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of CO2 as a behavioral deterrent to free-swimming fishes. Telemetered bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were monitored within a U-shaped pond (30.5 m long x 13.7 m wide x 1 m deep) using a two-dimensional acoustic telemetry array. Gaseous CO2 was administered to one-half of the pond at 30, 75, or 150 L CO2/min while a comparable stimulus of atmospheric air without CO2 was simultaneously applied to the opposite side. Fish positions throughout nine independent trials were used to quantify and compare the spatial occupancy, movement patterns, and CO2 plume interaction of fish during CO2 treatment relative to normal swimming before treatment. See related manuscript for additional details on experimental methods.

Locks and dams are possible management points to block the spread of invasive Asian carps in the United States. Infusion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into water is one deterrent strategy being considered at navigational structures to reduce upstream fish passage that would not directly interfere with lock and dam operations. The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of CO2 as a behavioral deterrent to free-swimming fishes. Telemetered bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were monitored within a U-shaped pond (30.5 m long x 13.7 m wide x 1 m deep) using a two-dimensional acoustic telemetry array. Gaseous CO2 was administered to one-half of the pond at 30, 75, or 150 L CO2/min while a comparable stimulus of atmospheric air without CO2 was simultaneously applied to the opposite side. Fish positions throughout nine independent trials were used to quantify and compare the spatial occupancy, movement patterns, and CO2 plume interaction of fish during CO2 treatment relative to normal swimming before treatment. See related manuscript for additional details on experimental methods.

We initiated a project in 2011 to identify lake-wide movement patterns and spawning areas of invasive lake trout in Yellowstone Lake, WY. We implanted acoustic transmitters in lake trout and established a network of stationary telemetry receivers in Yellowstone Lake. Lake Trout tagged with acoustic transmitters (Vemco V - series) were tracked with stationary acoustic receivers (Vemco VR2W - 69 kHz) from 2011 to 2015. The number of active receivers ranged from 17 - 65 as short term goals of the project changed. Coordinates for each detection represent the location of the receiver reading the transmitter. Additionally, detection ranges can vary from apporximately 500 - 1200 meters (but see Vemco.com for more details). In total, the dataset consists of more than 24 million detections from 470 Lake Trout and 21 Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout that were tagged over the course of the study. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control is achieved in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes by applying lamprey-specific pesticides (lampricide) to habitats containing larval sea lamprey. Lampricide treatments are cheaper and more effective in watersheds where dams block runs of adult sea lamprey and hence limit the distribution of sea lamprey larvae. However, dams impound water and those without fishways block movement of valued fishes, outcomes that are untenable for some stakeholders. Here, an alternative to physical barriers was tested to block adult sea lamprey; a portable and seasonal non-physical barrier of pulsed direct current that does not impound water, allows fish passage when not operated, and is relatively cheap. The electric field was operated in the Black Mallard River, Michigan, USA, March through August, 2016-2018. Here, we release data collected during the deployment of this barrier including stream discharge, water temperature, water conductivity, electric field measurements, animals captured in traps deployed downstream and upstream of the barrier, and dead animals recovered from downstream and upstream of the barrier.

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control is achieved in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes by applying lamprey-specific pesticides (lampricide) to habitats containing larval sea lamprey. Lampricide treatments are cheaper and more effective in watersheds where dams block runs of adult sea lamprey and hence limit the distribution of sea lamprey larvae. However, dams impound water and those without fishways block movement of valued fishes, outcomes that are untenable for some stakeholders. Here, an alternative to physical barriers was tested to block adult sea lamprey; a portable and seasonal non-physical barrier of pulsed direct current that does not impound water, allows fish passage when not operated, and is relatively cheap. The electric field was operated in the Black Mallard River, Michigan, USA, March through August, 2016-2018. Here, we release data collected during the deployment of this barrier including stream discharge, water temperature, water conductivity, electric field measurements, animals captured in traps deployed downstream and upstream of the barrier, and dead animals recovered from downstream and upstream of the barrier.