The Fox River Navigational System Authority board of directors approved conducting a suite of studies to provide more complete information to the DNR on the behavior of round gobies in an electric barrier environment. This series of studies would provide the following information:
- Comprehensive information about the round goby’s ability to swim against water velocity at all stages of the fish’s life;
- How an electrical field will affect a round goby at all stages of the fish’s life.
Four of the studies would be conducted in a laboratory, the fifth study is optional and would be conducted in one of the closed locks. If all five studies are conducted, the cost would be about $165,000, paid from FRNSA’s capital budget.
This will be the first such scientific study on the behavior of the round goby from larval to adult stages. Consultants are confident the studies will answer all questions raised by the DNR and provide definitive information on the fish’s response to electric currents and water velocity, two components central to the electric barrier proposed for the Menasha lock. For more information, visit this link.
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2019/11/16/update-on-menasha-lock/