AUTHORS: Liam Odell, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks; Chris Steffen, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
ABSTRACT: Introduced invasive carp have become established throughout the Missouri River basin. The feeding habits, population densities, and interactions with river users cause significant ecological damage as well as lower the desires to use bodies of water with established invasive carp populations. The Kansas River is a major tributary of the Missouri River and is one of three publicly accessible and navigable waterways in the state of Kansas. Upstream from the Kansas River are several large reservoirs that are highly utilized for outdoor recreation such as fishing, boating, nature watching, etc. The Bowersock Dam serves as a critical control point for the management of invasive carp in the Kansas River system. Only six bighead carp have been documented upstream of this structure. These six bigheads were previously assumed to have passed over the Bowersock Dam during an extreme flood event in 1993 (120,000 cfs). A recently completed study has raised concerns that invasive carp can pass over the Bowersock Dam at much lower flows (25,000 cfs). Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will integrate a physical deterrent at the Bowersock Dam to prevent invasive carp from moving over the dam and making their way upstream into reservoirs and the rest of the Kansas River.
