In the Lamine, Moreau, and Little Chariton rivers, light traps were used to capture larval bigheaded carps moving into tributaries. Traps were set on a weekly basis in each river, at roughly 1-kilometer intervals up to 7 km upstream. Ichthyoplankton tows were done in locations near the confluence of each tributary with the Missouri River, and within the Missouri River itself. Data includes identification of larval fish, size, and developmental information of subsampled invasive carp species. Flow readings were taken at up to five points across the channel with a Marsh-McBirney flow meter, and water quality was measured at the surface with a YSI ProPlus before retrieval of light traps.

Acoustic telemetry data (Vemco, Inc) were collected on invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), bighead carp (H. nobilis) and their hybrids in the upper Mississippi River (navigation pools 15-19) to determine movement patterns and preferred habitats during September 2013 through November 2017. We consolidated these data into intervals of fish within-pool residency and intervals of fish transitions into adjacent navigation pools (i.e., dam passages). The combined data set was then parsed into an "upstream passage" data set (in which downstream passage intervals were censored) and and a "downstream passage" data set (in which upstream passage intervals were censored). We then examined the effects of river hydrology and water temperature on dam passages by bigheaded carps using a complementary log-log model for continuous-time processes to estimate a Cox proportional hazards regression model (Allison 2010).

This dataset accompanies the article "Off-channel habitat use by silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis) in the upper Mississippi River". Acoustic telemetry data (Innovasea, Inc.) were collected on invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) in Pools 17-19 of the upper Mississippi River to examine timing and environmental conditions associated with off-channel habitat use during 2017–2018. Data also include surface water velocity, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and dam discharge from Lock and Dam 19. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

The dataset consists of count data derived from a series of sonar images. The data are fish counts per image from 1) a computerized process to extract fish counts, and 2) three manual assessors. Each image has a total of four associated fish counts.

The dataset consists of count data derived from a series of sonar images. The data are fish counts per image from 1) a computerized process to extract fish counts, and 2) three manual assessors. Each image has a total of four associated fish counts.

This is collection of multiple datasets for bighead and silver carp from the the Illinois, Ohio, and MIssissippi rivers. This data was collected by researchers, monitors, and managers between 1997 and 2018. Jahn Kallis created this dataset by combining these individual datasets.

This is collection of multiple datasets for bighead and silver carp from the the Illinois, Ohio, and MIssissippi rivers. This data was collected by researchers, monitors, and managers between 1997 and 2018. Jahn Kallis created this dataset by combining these individual datasets.

Invasive species may vary in their seasonal distribution and abundance due to environmental conditions such as precipitation and temperature. Bigheaded carps, which include silver and bighead carp, are one such taxon of invasive species that appear to change habitats seasonally. Seasonal changes in bigheaded carp distribution may occur because of hydrological changes, water temperature changes, and spawning activities. Monitoring this seasonal dispersal and migration is important for management to control the population size and spread of the species. We examined if environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches could detect seasonal changes in the occurrence of DNA in water samples and used these approaches to calculate the probability of detection of DNA within samples. To do this, we developed a novel genetic marker that was able to both detect and differentiate bighead and silver carp DNA. We implemented the genetic markers to study the occurrence of bigheaded carps at 3 sites on the Wabash River over the course of a year. These sites were chosen because they exist along a spatial gradient of bigheaded carps densities. Furthermore, we studied the Wabash River because of concerns that carps may be able to use the system to invade the Great Lakes via a connection at Eagle Marsh between the Wabash River's watershed and the Great Lakes' watershed. The Wabash River is a tributary of the Ohio River, which is a tributary of the Mississippi River and the source of bigheaded carps in the Wabash. We used occupancy modeling to estimate both the probability that a water sample contained DNA as well as the probability of detecting the DNA within a sample for both species. We found seasonal trends in the probability of detection and occupancy that varied across sites. These findings demonstrate that eDNA methods can detect seasonal changes in bigheaded carps densities and suggest the amount of DNA present changes seasonally. Both the probability of detection and the probability of a sample containing DNA were generally similar for both species. The site that was farthest upstream and had the lowest carp densities exhibited the strongest seasonal trends for both detection probabilities and sample occupancy probabilities. Furthermore, other observations suggest that carps seasonally leave this site, and we were able to detect this with our eDNA approach. More broadly, our research offers support for using eDNA to detect seasonal trends in abundances of aquatic invasive species.

Ichthyoplankton tows samples collected from Truman reservoir tributaries evaluated for eDNA. Data also includes hydrologic and water quality parameters and morphology of grass carp eggs.

We collected lengths and weights of Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) above (Yellowstone cutthroat trout allopatry) and below (Yellowstone cutthroat trout sympatry with brown trout) a natural barrier in Duck Creek, Montana.