A novel tool to selectively deliver a control agent to filter-feeding silver and bighead carp

Invasive carp pose substantial economic and ecological damage when populations are widespread in freshwater systems within the United States. Resource managers in the United States have few chemical control tools to selectively remove nuisance fish. This study examined whether Antimycin–A (antimycin) wax encapsulated microparticles could cause selective lethality in invasive carps. The antimycin microparticles were selective toward bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) across multiple experimental scales. Microparticles applied in experimental pond studies caused approximately 50 percent lethality in invasive carp. Effluent pond studies performed at Rathbun Fish Hatchery (Moravia, Iowa) caused silver carp lethality at a lower rate than previous pond or laboratory studies (approximately 1 percent); however, minimal effects on other fish species were observed. The antimycin microparticle formulation shows the ability to cause lethality in filter-feeding invasive carp relative to other fish species and demonstrated the plausibility for delivering a typically nonselective toxicant in a selective manner to specific species based on their physiological feeding traits.