Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery Staff Assist With Tagging Invasive Species

Written By

Maintenance Worker, Adam Yarberry, and Biological Science Technician, Makenzie Foster, traveled to Lake Barkley to assist KDFWR, USGS, USFWS, and TVA with capturing, tagging, and releasing invasive carp.

Electrofishing boats and a 1200 foot gillnet were used to collect the carp before surgically inserting vemcos tags. Yarberry and Foster specifically assisted with netting shocked fish, setting and pulling in the gillnet, and transferring the fish from the capture boat to the tagging boat.

These efforts will provide crucial data on the effectiveness of the B.A.F.F. (Bio Acoustic Fish Fence) system installed in 2019. The B.A.F.F. system uses a mixture of lights, vibrations, and bubbles to deter the invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species
from entering other waterways. Biologists are specifically looking at how many invasive carp are able to pass through the system into the tailwaters of the Cumberland River.

KDFWR employees transferring invasive carp from the net boat to the transfer boat to be tagged at the surgical boat station set up on Lake Barkley.
A holding tub used to transfer invasive carp from the netting vessel to the tagging station on Lake Barkley.
USGS employee sutures silver carp after surgically implanting vemcos tags for distribution study on Lake Barkley.
Employees of USFWS, USGS, TVA, and KDFWR working to tag invasive carp species on Lake Barkley in Western Kentucky.

Story Tags

Electrofishing
Fisheries management
Invasive species