Asian Carp Action Plan May 2018 Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee 2018 Asian Carp Action Plan FY2018 Asian Carp Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2018 May 2018 Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee Contributing Members: Illinois Department of Natural Resources U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Resources Conservation Service Indiana Department of Natural Resources U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Michigan Department of Natural Resources U.S. Coast Guard Michigan Office of the Great Lakes U.S. Department of Transportation/Maritime Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Administration New York Department of Environmental U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Conservation U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ohio Department of Natural Resources U.S. Geological Survey National Parks Service Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Fisheries and Oceans Canada Protection City of Chicago Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Great Lakes Fishery Commission Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Great Lakes Commission Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Québec Ministère de la Forêt, de la Faune et des Parcs Greater Chicago U.S Department of Commerce - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2018 Asian Carp Action Plan FY2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. ES-1 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 ABOUT THIS STRATEGY ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY ...................................................................................... 2 1.3 THE ROLE OF THE ACRCC ............................................................................................ 3 1.4 MISSION OF THE ACRCC ............................................................................................... 4 1.5 BACKGROUND ON ASIAN CARP ................................................................................. 4 2.0 MONITORING AND RESPONSE WORKGROUP EFFORTS ............................................ 12 2.1 MRWG STRATEGIC VISION ........................................................................................ 12 2.1.1 Short-Term (5-year) MRWG Strategic Vision: 2018 – 2022 .............................. 12 2.1.2 Long-Term (5+-year) MRWG Strategic Vision: 2022 and Beyond .................... 13 2.2 MONITORING & RESPONSE PLAN ............................................................................ 14 2.3 CONTINGENCY PLAN .................................................................................................. 15 2.3.1 Operation Silver Bullet ........................................................................................ 15 2.4 BINATIONAL ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENTS ................................................. 16 3.0 INTERAGENCY CAWS ASIAN CARP PROGRAM ............................................................. 17 3.1. PREVENTION ACTIONS ............................................................................................... 17 3.1.1 Operate and Maintain Current Barrier System in the CAWS .............................. 17 3.1.2 Construction of a New Electric Barrier ............................................................... 18 3.1.3 Development of Potential Future Actions at Brandon Road ................................ 19 3.1.4 Closure Actions at Little Killbuck Creek Pathway .............................................. 19 3.1.5 Closure Actions at Ohio-Erie Canal Pathway ...................................................... 20 3.1.6 Barge Entrainment/Water Jets ............................................................................. 20 3.2 CONTROL MEASURES ................................................................................................. 21 3.2.1 Contract Fishing for Asian Carp Detection and Removal ................................... 21 3.2.2 Asian Carp Enhanced Contract Removal Program Development ....................... 22 3.2.3 Asian Carp Population Model and Demographics ............................................... 22 3.2.4 Mass Removal of Asian Carp .............................................................................. 23 3.2.5 Apply Improved Fishery Gears and Designs at Brandon Road ........................... 24 3.3 TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................. 24 3.3.1 Use of Underwater Sound .................................................................................... 25 3.3.2 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) ......................................................................................... 26 3.3.3 Microparticles ...................................................................................................... 26 3.3.4 Development of Grass Carp Control Technologies ............................................. 27 i 2018 Asian Carp Action Plan FY2018 3.4 EARLY DETECTION, MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT ...................................... 28 3.4.1 Monitoring Upstream of the Dispersal Barrier .................................................... 28 3.4.2 Monitoring Downstream of the EDBS ................................................................ 29 3.4.3 Young-of-Year and Juvenile Asian Carp Monitoring.......................................... 29 3.4.4 Comprehensive Interagency eDNA Monitoring Program ................................... 29 3.4.5 Asian Carp Stock Assessment in the Upper Illinois River .................................. 30 3.4.6 Great Lakes Monitoring ....................................................................................... 31 3.4.7 Ecosystem Risk Assessments .............................................................................. 31 3.5 RESPONSE ACTIONS .................................................................................................... 31 3.6 BLACK AND GRASS CARP MONITORING ............................................................... 32 3.6.1 Addressing the Threat of Black Carp ................................................................... 32 3.6.2 Addressing the Threat of Grass Carp ................................................................... 34 3.7 COMMUNICATION/EDUCATION/STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT .................... 35 3.8 ACCRC PARTNERSHIP OPERATIONS ....................................................................... 36 4.0 COLLABORATIVE ACTIONS WITHIN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO RIVER BASINS ...................................................................................................... 37 5.0 CANADIAN ASIAN CARP CONTROL EFFORTS ............................................................... 40 5.1 FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA .......................................................................... 40 5.1.1 Targeted Traditional Gear for Early Warning Surveillance ................................. 40 5.1.2 Response .............................................................................................................. 41 5.1.3 Research Activities .............................................................................................. 41 5.1.4 Control Technologies ........................................................................................... 42 5.1.5 River Modeling .................................................................................................... 43 5.1.6 Spawning Suitability ............................................................................................ 43 5.1.7 Risk Assessment (Grass Carp) ............................................................................. 43 5.1.8 Research to Inform Risk Assessment (Black Carp) ............................................. 43 5.1.9 Risk Assessment (Black Carp) ............................................................................ 44 5.1.10 Outreach and Education ....................................................................................... 44 5.1.11 Enforcement ......................................................................................................... 45 5.2 ONTARIO ........................................................................................................................ 45 5.2.1 Surveillance and Monitoring ............................................................................... 45 5.2.2 eDNA Research ................................................................................................... 45 5.2.3 Asian Carp Response Plan ................................................................................... 45 5.2.4 Outreach Activities .............................................................................................. 46 5.2.5 Regulations .......................................................................................................... 46 5.3 QUEBEC .......................................................................................................................... 47 ii 2018 Asian Carp Action Plan FY2018 5.3.1 Surveillance and Monitoring ............................................................................... 47 5.3.2 eDNA Research ................................................................................................... 48 5.3.3 Quebec’s Asian Carps Program ..........................................................................