No Asian carp environmental DNA found after additional testing in Lower Fox River

MADISON, Wis. -- Additional tests for Asian carp environmental DNA in the Lower Fox River have come back negative, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials said.

Bob Wakeman, aquatic invasive species coordinator for DNR, said the additional tests were requested after one out of 200 sample collected in June and July from the Lower Fox River tested positive for silver carp. The latest round of testing - by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - included collecting 200 additional samples from the Lower Fox River on two days of sampling in the weeks following the initial results.

"We're pleased that the results came back negative and it's a good indication there are no live silver carp in the river," Wakeman said. "We're particularly grateful to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their work in carrying out the water sampling and analysis. Through continued monitoring and the preventive efforts of Wisconsin anglers, waterfowl hunters, recreational boaters and commercial partners, we hope to keep Asian carp out of Lake Michigan."

Asian carp pose significant ecological and economic threats to the Great Lakes region and its fishery because they eat voraciously and compete directly with valuable native fish for food. Asian carp species including bighead and silver carp were introduced into the southern United States in the 1970s.

The tests for eDNA are extremely sensitive and can detect genetic material shed in mucus or excrement from fish as well as from birds that have eaten the fish elsewhere. Contaminated bilge water also can carry traces of the fish and the latest negative results suggest the source of eDNA from the summer sampling originated from a temporary source.

While the genetic fingerprints are clear enough to identify specific invasive carp species, the eDNA testing program relies on multiple positive samples over time to indicate the likelihood of live fish. The single positive result among 1,950 samples from Wisconsin tributaries to Lake Michigan in June and July followed by the negative results returned this week recalls a similar situation in 2013. Then, a single positive sample from the Sturgeon Bay area was followed by all negative results.

In addition to the federal eDNA monitoring, DNR fisheries team members conduct a variety of netting, electroshocking and trawling operations in state waters. To date, these efforts have not captured any Asian carp in any waters of the Lower Fox River, Green Bay or Lake Michigan.

DNR encourages anglers and others to review Asian carp identification materials, to report any sightings of Asian carp and to make sure that bait buckets don't inadvertently contain the fish because young Asian carp resemble popular bait species. Photo identification tools and more information on Asian carp can be found on DNR's website, dnr.wi.gov, by searching "Asian carp."

US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE COMES TO SHAWANO WI

By: John Durben

Employees from the US Fish and Wildlife Service from the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery located in Warm Springs, Georgia came to Shawano, WI., yesterday.  The purpose of their visit to Wisconsin was to gather some Sturgeon eggs to take back to their hatchery in Georgia.

The Sturgeon population is being threatened in some of the southern states due to over-harvest or the construction of dams which has changed the various water levels or access to spawning areas.

The Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery has been working closely with the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in an effort to reverse this trend. The Wisconsin native fish hatched in Georgia will be released in the Lower French Broad River in Tennessee and the Coosa River in Georgia according to Hatchery Manager, Carlos Echevarria.

 

(L) Sturgeon eggs are treated in a clay solution to keep them from clumping. Note that

they are being stirred with an Eagle feather. (R) Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery

Manager, Carlos Echevarra with a pitcher of Sturgeon eggs.

 

(L) Sturgeon eggs poured into one of the jars which will eventually be placed in the

portable hatchery. 

 

(R) The portable hatchery can handle 12 jars of Sturgeon eggs. Six jars on each side.

Echevarra says he like to put 500 eggs in each Jar.

 

 

(L)  Kathlina Alford, Conservation Associate from the Tennessee Aquarium

Conservation Institute works on an egg sample. (R) The portable hatchery

is equipped with a cooling system as well as a heating system to keep the water

temperature just right for the eggs on the long trip back to Georgia.

In the back of the hatchery there is a portable generator to generate electricity

to operate the hatchery as well.

Click here – to learn more about this joint project.

WCSFO photos by: John Durben and Carlos Echevarra

FEINGOLD ANNOUNCES WISCONSIN WILL RECEIVE MORE THAN $7.8 MILLION IN STIMULUS FUNDING FOR WILDLIFE RESTORATION

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Will Invest in 11 Wisconsin Projects

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today that Wisconsin will receive approximately $7.8 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the economic stimulus, to invest in wildlife refuges and hatcheries, improve facilities, and promote conservation across the state to create jobs. The largest investment for Wisconsin will be $6.1 million to build an energy efficient headquarters and visitor center at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Onalaska, Wisconsin. Other projects include $500,000 to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge to install energy efficient photovoltaic panels on the visitor center, $405,000 to the Genoa National Fish Hatchery to complete stalled maintenance projects, and $839,000 for habitat restoration projects along the Kickapoo River, Bad River, Troutmere Creek, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.

“The commitment to public lands and our environment runs deep in our state and this investment will help protect our fish and wildlife,” Feingold said. “I am pleased that this stimulus funding will not only help to create jobs in Wisconsin, but will also make energy efficiency improvements to buildings, finish long overdue maintenance projects, provide critical habitat restoration, and ensure that many outdoor enthusiasts will continue to enjoy our state’s beautiful wildlife and landscape.”

Feingold has been a strong supporter of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System. Feingold has been helped lead efforts in the Senate to increase funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System to meet the tremendous budget shortfalls the refuges face. In August 2007, Feingold was presented with an award for his leadership in supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System by the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE), a coalition of more than 20 conservation, sporting and scientific organizations that range from the Defenders of Wildlife to the National Rifle Association.

For a full list of the Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Act projects and plans, go to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Recovery web site at http://recovery.doi.gov/fws/. Additional information about other Department of the Interior Recovery Act issues can be found at the Department’s Recovery Web Site at http://recovery.doi.gov/.