Using Carbon Dioxide in Fisheries and Aquatic Invasive Species Management

Abstract

To restore native fish populations, fisheries programs often depend on active removal of aquatic invasive species. Chemical removal can be an effective method of eliminating aquatic invasive species, but chemicals can induce mortality in nontarget organisms and persist in the environment. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an emerging alternative to traditional chemical control agents because it has been demonstrated to be toxic to fish, but is naturally occurring and readily neutralized. In addition, CO₂ is a commercially available gas, is highly soluble, and has high absorption efficiency. When these characteristics are paired with advances in modern, large-scale gas delivery technologies, opportunities to use CO₂ in natural or artificial (e.g., canals) waters to manage fish become increasingly feasible. Our objective is to describe the history of CO₂ use in fisheries and outline potential future applications of CO₂ to suppress and manipulate aquatic species in field and aquaculture settings.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Robert Muth and Alexander V. Zale for their constructive comments. Suggestions from the editor and two anonymous reviewers substantially improved the article. We also thank the scientists and staff at USGS Leetown Science Center, particularly Christine Densmore; USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center; and USFWS Bozeman Fish Technology Center for assistance with CO₂-related experiments. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

FUNDING

Funding for this review was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture North Carolina Regional Aquaculture Center and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Midwest Science Center.