Movement and Spatial Distribution of Common Carp in a South Dakota Glacial Lake System: Implications for Management and Removal

Common Carp Cyprinus carpio form dense populations that often negatively impact water quality and clarity, native fish communities, and aquatic plant growth in aquatic ecosystems outside their native range, including the U.S. Midwest. In an attempt to guide future management and control activities, we used acoustic telemetry to quantify monthly spatial distributions and movement patterns for adult Common Carp in Brant and Round lakes, South Dakota, during open‐water periods for 2 years. During a span of 12 months of manual tracking in the spring, summer, and fall seasons, we obtained 530 locations from 19 acoustically tagged fish. In general, fish displayed a clear tendency to aggregate in shallow depths close to shore during the spawning period in May and June and also postspawn during August. In contrast, fish dispersed offshore into deeper water during July. Mean hourly movement rates during 24‐h tracking sessions ranged from 100.3 m/h to 165.9 m/h. Although nonsignificant, the highest movement rates occurred in June and October and during the dusk period. Our results, along with similar studies in the region, indicate predictable and repeatable seasonal aggregations and distributions of Common Carp that will likely aid in the development of sampling protocols and control programs for temperate lakes. These results can be used to develop integrated control techniques that would target adult fish during periods of seasonal aggregations and dispersions, which is critical for effective population control. Received March 26, 2014; accepted August 23, 2014