Containment key in preventing aquatic invasive species, experts say
News Release Published: April 3, 2009 by the Northern Region
Contact(s): Jim Hansen (715) 762-1343
PARK FALLS – Internationally-renowned experts speaking at the recent Wisconsin Lakes Conference had a few words of advice regarding aquatic invasive species: “prevent their spread by containing them to waters known to be infested.” Cleaning boats and equipment coming from infested waters is more cost-effective than monitoring landings where lakes do not have invasives, the experts agreed.
“Essentially the speakers at this year’s conference said containment can consist of educating boaters leaving these lakes and ensuring that they do not transmit the aquatic invaders via their boats, equipment, and the water contained in their boats,” said Jim Hansen, Aquatic Invasives and Lakes Coordinator for the DNR’s 18 County Northern Region. He added that this approach may require a change in thinking from the common model of people organizing to prevent the introduction of aquatic invasives into their own lake, (the “shield” approach), which is not yet infested.
The infested lakes are often without such concentrated efforts because the species of concern is already there. Without protection on these infested lakes, their neighboring lakes are vulnerable to a new introduction from boaters who share their landings, the speakers said.
The 31st annual Wisconsin Lakes Conference was held in late March in Green Bay by the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership, a consortium of Wisconsin DNR, University of Wisconsin – Extension, and the Wisconsin Association of Lakes. The central theme of this meeting was aquatic invasive species and featured presentations from experts including Dr. David Lodge, Director of the Center for Aquatic Conservation at the University of Notre Dame, who discussed preventing the spread of invasive species by commercial vessels in the Great Lakes, and by recreational boats among inland lakes, Dr. Anthony Ricciardi, of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and Dr. Jake Vander Zanden an Associate Professor of Zoology and Limnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The conference was attended by more than 350 people from in and outside of Wisconsin; and the toll invasive species are taking in Wisconsin – and fear of new introductions – seemed to dominate conversation during, before and after presentations. Aquatic invasive species have been estimated by researchers to cost government, tax payers and industry to cost the Great Lakes region $200 million annually, in addition to the toll they take on native species and ecosystems.
Because these aquatic invaders are foreign to the ecosystems they enter and thus have no natural predators, they out-compete the native species for food and/or habitat.
The Lakes Coordinator said the Great Lakes, because of international shipping, has and remains a source pool for many invasives entering inland waters. For example, he said, some well-known aquatic invasive species include the sea lamprey which nearly collapsed the lake trout populations in the Great Lakes, the alewife, zebra mussels and quagga mussels that caused millions of dollars of expense to control their impacts, and eurasion water milfoil an invasive from Scandinavia which has clogged waterways and cost millions of dollars in control costs.
“The message delivered at the convention was loud and clear: By stopping these plants, fish, and animals at their sources, we can prevent their spread to other waters,” Hansen said. He said the best ways to do this is to inspect your boat, trailer and equipment and remove visible aquatic plants, animals, and mud. Drain water from your boat, motor, bilge, live wells, and bait containers. Dispose of unwanted leftover bait in the trash, not in the water or on land. Buy your minnows from licensed Wisconsin bait dealers. Never move live fish from one water to another unless they are leftover minnows bought from Wisconsin and you have not added any lake or river water or fish into their container. Wash your boat and equipment with high pressure or hot water, or let it dry for 5 days.
