Population characteristics of bighead and silver carp on the northwestern front of their North American invasion

Invasive species are considered the second largest threat to native biodiversity, and ecosystem function and services. One pair of global invaders, bighead, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, and silver carp, H. molitrix, (collectively referred to as Asian carps) have been introduced throughout the world, and are invading three prairie stream tributaries to the Missouri River in the United States. There is a paucity of knowledge and understanding about Asian carp population characteristics and biology in North America. As such, we documented spatial and temporal trends in population dynamics (i.e., density, size structure, age, growth and condition) of Asian carps in three tributaries to the Missouri River in South Dakota: Big Sioux, James and Vermillion from 2009 to 2012. Finally, native planktivore (i.e., gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, bigmouth buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus, and emerald shiner, Notropis atherinoides) characteristics were examined using condition (Fulton’s K). Overall, 469 silver carp and eight bighead carp were collected using boat electrofishing and mean catch-per-unit-effort of silver carp increased annually. The three rivers ’ populations were similar in length frequencies. Silver carp growth was faster initially than later ages and overall was slower than