Sensory input and systems are critical for organisms to respond to their environment, allowing movement to suitable habitat and potential escape from predators. While many stages of grass carp ontogeny have been described, neurosensory development remains unclear. Using behavioral tests, we looked at phonotaxis and chemotaxis from initial gas bladder inflation to the development of the second gas bladder chamber (the period during which larvae leave the drift and move into nursery areas). Rheotaxis was examined from hatch through gas bladder inflation by quantifying orientation in a laboratory flume.

This data set contains auditory evoked potentials for four species of invasive carp; silver carp, black carp, grass carp, bighead carp, as well as goldfish (100-150 millimeters in total length) and behavioral thresholds on goldfish in a tank (dimensions 240 centimeters X 100 centimeters; depth of 25 centimeters) at the Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO USA. Ambient sound and experimental tones were recorded using a hydrophone (STD 300; Ocean Instruments, Auckland, NZ) located where fish were placed in the experimental setup. Auditory evoked potentials were collected using a signal processor and bioamplifier (RZ6 and 4Z, Tucker-Davis Technology, Florida, USA) and recorded using the BioSigRZ software (Tucker-Davis Technology, Florida, USA). The stimulus was 100 ms tone bursts at 300, 500, 800, 1000, and 1500 Hz with a cosine-squared gate and 10 ms rise and fall time. Behavioral thresholds were collected for goldfish. To determine threshold, tones were presented to a conditioned fish beginning at approximately 30 decibels (dB) re 1 micropascal above the expected threshold. Each time the goldfish showed detection (suppressing respiration), the tone was lowered by 10 dB. When the fish did not respond, the tone level was increased by 5 dB for a final presentation. Water temperature of the tank was collected with a data logger (HOBO data logger, OnSet, Massachusetts, USA).

This dataset includes the behavioral fish data needed to assess the responses of Upper Mississippi River fishes to an acoustic stimulus (i.e., playback of a 100 hp boat motor). Native ostariophysians (bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, and fathead minnow Pimephales promelas), invasive ostariophysians (bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, common carp Cyprinus carpio, grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), and native non-ostariophysians (American eel Anguilla rostrata, gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, hybrid striped bass Morone saxatilis, lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens, and paddlefish Polyodon spathula) were exposed to a playback of a 100 hp boat motor sound in indoor tanks, and their behavior was monitored for negative phonotaxis and changes in behavior.

This dataset includes the behavioral fish data needed to assess the responses of Upper Mississippi River fishes to an acoustic stimulus (i.e., playback of a 100 hp boat motor). Native ostariophysians (bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, and fathead minnow Pimephales promelas), invasive ostariophysians (bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, common carp Cyprinus carpio, grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), and native non-ostariophysians (American eel Anguilla rostrata, gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, hybrid striped bass Morone saxatilis, lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens, and paddlefish Polyodon spathula) were exposed to a playback of a 100 hp boat motor sound in indoor tanks, and their behavior was monitored for negative phonotaxis and changes in behavior.

Using juvenile individuals of 3 species of carp (Family: Cyprinidae), we tested the potential for six amino acids to elicit an extracellular electro-olfactory response within the naris using gelatin-based electrodes. The amino acids L-alanine, L-arginine, L-aspartic acid, L-asparagine, L-glutamine, and L‑glutamic acid were tested on Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), and Silver Carp (H. molitrix) to provide a comparison among amino acids both within and among species. Each row in the data set represents exposure to a single amino acid. Each individual fish was exposed to up to four amino acids sequentially in a random order, representing a trial; each individual was a subject for exactly one trial. The response metric was the measured response peak, in millivolts, corrected by subtracting the mean baseline during exposure to well water 60 seconds prior to the amino acid response. The baseline-corrected, absolute value of the response to ultrapure, deionized (UDI or “Nanopure”) water immediately preceding a trial is also included. Other relevant factors that could influence measured individual response, such as number of times electrodes were repositioned within a trial (n = 4 repositions across 76 trials), nominal concentration of amino acid solutions, fish mass, holding tank temperature, and flow rate of water and amino acid solutions over the naris are included. Identifying data, namely date of trial and an individual subject ID (equivalent to a trial ID), are also included.

These data pertain to behavior trials conducted on three different species of invasive carp in a laboratory setting between the dates of 29 April 2021 to 14 December 2021. The three species tested were grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix). The amino acids L-alanine, L-arginine, L-aspartic acid, and L‑glutamic acid were selected for this study to analyze how exposure may impact fish behavior, with a specific focus on avoidance and attraction. Each trial involved two individuals of the same species being exposed to one amino acid and a control water. Water inputs were on each end of the long exposure chamber and drained in the center to maintain a delineation between amino acid and the control water. For each combination of species (3 total) and amino acid (4 total), we performed 10 replicates, totaling 120 trials with each trial utilizing two fish (240 individuals). The chamber and fish were recorded from overhead video cameras and fish movement and position within the chamber determined using tracking software. After the software provided the initial tracking analysis, additional manual tracking was done to address any errors that occurred due to fish overlap. Of the 120 trials conducted, 69 trials, 5 to 7 from each combination of species × amino acid, were randomly chosen and manually examined and tracked, thus fixing identity swapping for those trials. The complete set of data were not manually tracked due to limited resources; questions related to average location could still be answered without tracking the identity of each fish.

This dataset includes the behavioral responses to a broadband sound for common carp in an outdoor concrete pond. Broadband sound (0.06 to 10 kHz) has shown potential as an acoustic deterrent for bigheaded carps, but the response of common carp to broadband sound has not been evaluated. Since common carp are ostariophysians, possessing Weberian ossicles similar to bigheaded carps, it is possible that sound can be used as an acoustical deterrent for all three species.

Invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) occur in large regions of the Mississippi River drainage, outcompete native species, and are notorious for their prolific jumping behavior. Juvenile and adult (up to 25 kg) carp are known to jump up to 3 m above the water surface in response to moving watercraft. Broadband sound recorded from an outboard motor (100 hp at 32 km/hr) can modulate their behavior in captivity; however, the response of wild silver carp to broadband sound has yet to be determined. This data set includes information regarding the sound produced by outboard motor and speakers in the field and will help in determining effectiveness of the usage of control techniques in the management of carps.

Invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) occur in large regions of the Mississippi River drainage, outcompete native species, and are notorious for their prolific jumping behavior. Juvenile and adult (up to 25 kg) carp are known to jump up to 3 m above the water surface in response to moving watercraft. Broadband sound recorded from an outboard motor (100 hp at 32 km/hr) can modulate their behavior in captivity; however, the response of wild silver carp to broadband sound has yet to be determined. This data set includes information regarding the sound produced by outboard motor and speakers in the field and will help in determining effectiveness of the usage of control techniques in the management of carps.

Voltage gradient behavioral response thresholds of Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), and Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), to a suite of direct and alternating current electrofishing waveforms.