Control of Common Carp in the Heron Lake Watershed, Minnesota

Common carp Cyprinus carpio were radiotracked during the winter of two years in North (83 7 hectares) and South (13 60 hectares) Heron Lakes, Minnesota to monitor survival and behavior in these shallow (maximum depth 1. 5 m), turbid lakes. Winterkill conditions killed four of six radiotagged common carp the first year, but all survived the second year. Fish in North Heron Lake overwintered in the center 160 hectares, and fish in South Heron Lake overwintered in the northernmost quarter of the lake. Fish were located in 0 to 55 cm of water available under ice cover, with 3 to 10 mg\L dissolved oxygen. Over two years, approximately 1, 500 common carp and bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus were tagged with dart tags and released downstream of an electrical fish barrier built on the outlet to the Heron Lakes. About 2, 500 fish were caught upstream from the barrier, but no tagged fish were found. Median catch-per-unit-effort in gill nets set in South Heron Lake each August decreased from 24 to 12 for common carp, and from 27. 5 to 0. 5 for bigmouth buffalo.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - University Access Only

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

Year

1993

Author dc:creator

• Verrill, Donovan D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Charles R. Berry Jr.

• Natural Resources and Conservation

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © 1993 Donovan D. Verrill. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/589

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:openprairie.sdstate.edu:etd-1589