Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Funds research by a participating Great Rivers CESU partner to test whether in-situ fluorometry can detect invasive carp milt in rivers downstream of spawning sites.
⚑ Eligible applicant must be a participating partner of the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. · Cooperative Agreement under the CESU program. · Research-focused; no indication of cost sharing in the notice.
This is a fisheries/biological monitoring project on invasive carp detection using fluorometry and eDNA, with no real social-behavioral, policy, risk-perception, or communication component. It is far outside IPPRA’s research program and no roster member has a matching line of work.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-11-06
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 70 strong | technical depth: substantial; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 45 partial | portfolio topic: environment (primary); social/behavioral work is none; funds applied research; capped at 45 (limited social-science role) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 25 weak | funds applied research; deep-tech content |
Description
The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a Great Rivers CESU partner for research to assess the efficacy of using in-situ fluorometry for detection of milt (seminal fluid) from invasive carp in rivers downstream from spawning sites. Invasive carp–bighead ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis ) silver ( H. molitrix ), grass( Ctenopharyngodon idella ), and black ( Mylopharyngodon piceus ) carp–are native to Southeast Asia and have spread throughout much of the Mississippi River Basin since their escape from private, wastewater, and aquaculture ponds in the 1980s. Technologies allowing for early detection of these species, especially evidence of natural reproduction, are needed by state and federal agencies throughout the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins to control the spread of invasive carp and assess risk to uninvaded waters. Natural resource managers have generally relied upon labor-intensive ichthyoplankton sampling by boat crews to determine if invasive carp are spawning in a river. While these samples can provide direct evidence of spawning, they require crews to be on the water sampling in the right place and right time during a spawning event. The discrete samples collected using traditional sampling methods are generally spatiotemporally sparse due to limited resources. Recent deployments of streamside environmental DNA (eDNA) autosamplers have shown promise in detection of spawning activity ( project webpage ). However, the equipment and analyses are costly, the system has limited sampling capability, results are not available in real-time, and eDNA methods used cannot currently discern the presence of milt or eggs from that of adult fish.
Eligibility
This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program. CESU's are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Geological Survey <katherine_calder@ios.doi.gov>
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