The Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection and Monitoring Program is part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in collaboration with partners, leads and implements sampling to detect new invasive species as early as possible. Preventing the introduction of new invasive species into the Great Lakes is the most cost-effective way to protect native fish and wildlife, their habitats, and the services they provide to surrounding communities.

What We Do

Our Projects and Initiatives

A Chinook salmon is in a net and has a sea lamprey attached right above the pectoral fin.
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Sea lamprey on a chinook salmon captured in the Genesee River.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection Monitoring Program delivers a comprehensive, consistent, and transparent program for detecting new populations of Aquatic Invasive Species, while localized or rare, across the Great Lakes Basin. This information is important to management jurisdiction when planning and initiating potential response actions. 

Objectives of the Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Early Detection Monitoring Program

  1. Target high-priority species identified through agency risk assessments, state and tribal input, and published watchlists.
  2. Maximize the probability of detection
  3. Communicate outcomes to stakeholders and decision makers.
  4. Review program implementation annually.
  5. Adapt program implementation on a three-year cycle.

Latest Stories and Topics

Stories
A pristine lab for metabarcoding
Science and Technology
It Takes a Village: Expanding Capacity at the Whitney Genetics Laboratory to Incorporate Metabarcoding
It took a village, but we are happy to announce the completion of the Whitney Genetics Laboratory expansion in region 3. This increased capacity stemmed from the growing need to detect many potential aquatic invasive species, not only Silver and Bighead Carp, in the Great Lakes basin. The method,...
A biologist displays a trapped crayfish as it flares its large claws inside a cylindrical metal cage
Research reveals hope for managing invasive red swamp crayfish 
Originally from the southeastern U.S., the red swamp crayfish has become an unwelcomed world traveler. They have drained wetlands in Europe and ruined rice crop in Asia. These invasive crayfish are highly aggressive and mobile. Here in the U.S., they are commonly spread by unsuspecting aquarium-...
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Our Library

Find standard operating procedures for the lab and field here.

Two biologist on a boat hold a net that has many invasive ruffe fish in it.
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Recommended Sampling Gear Types and Standard Operating Procedures for the Early Detection of Non-native Fishes and Select Benthic Macroinvertebrates in the Great Lakes

This document identifies a suite of recommended sampling gear types and standard operating procedures to be used by each Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (FWCO) during early aquatic invasive species detection sampling. The specific gear types deployed by each Great Lakes FWCO...

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USFWS Great Lakes Early Detection and Monitoring Program Communications Plan
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USFWS Great Lakes Early Detection and Monitoring Program Communications Plan

A guide on how to communicate the results of early detection and monitoring efforts.

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Work With Us

Three fish and wildlife service employees sit on a boat and smile as they each hold grass carp that are over two feet long.
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Three USFWS employees holding invasive grass carp in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Monitoring the Great Lakes for novel aquatic 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 is a huge undertaking. 

If you are interested in partnering with us to survey the Great Lakes, please contact Nicholaus Frohnauer

Projects and Research

The Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection and Monitoring Program utilizes three methodologies to sample 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 . These sampling techniques are used in tandem to help the Great Lakes partnership get an accurate picture of what potential invasions there are in an area. Four Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices in tandem with partners around the Great Lakes are tasked with carrying out these sampling efforts.

Monitoring for Aquatic Invasive species using Traditional Sampling Techniques

USFWS staff on a boat use nets to collect fish stunned by electrical currents in the water.
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Electrofishing survey in Lake St. Lawrence searching for Tench (Tinca tinca) as part of a targeted Early Detection and Monitoring effort along the St. Lawrence River.

The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices use standard fisheries techniques to catch aquatic invasive species and physically confirm their presence. The success of capturing a live fish is often contingent upon using the correct equipment, as the most effective gear varies based on factors such as fish size, habitat preferences, and behavioral characteristics. The gear type used for species and habitat types are used consistently by each sampling team so that results can be compared across locations, seasons, and years to ensure reliable data. Consistency and reliable data are the key to evaluating the success of the program. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices use the “Recommended Sampling Gear Types and Standard Operating  Procedures for the Early Detection of Non-native Fishes and Select  Benthic Macroinvertebrates in the Great Lakes” as a guiding document for their efforts in the field.

USFWS staff on a boat picks up a tube from a rack for eDNA sampling under a cloudy sky.
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The Green Bay Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office collecting invasive carp eDNA samples on Lake Michigan.

Invasive Carp eDNA Monitoring

The potential invasion of carp species is the biggest threat facing the Great Lakes and other U.S. waters today. In the Great Lakes, one method used for monitoring is eDNA sampling. Environmental DNA, or eDNA for short, is a tool that can be used to monitor for the genetic presence of specific species in the environment. Bighead and silver carp leave behind DNA in the environment through shedding skin cells, scales, or fecal material.

Across the Great Lakes region, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices collect water samples to help detect the presence of invasive carp. These samples are sent to the Whitney Genetics Lab, where scientists use a technique called qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) to analyze samples for invasive carp eDNA. This method looks for genetic markers that are unique to bighead and silver carp. If those markers are found, it means invasive carp DNA was in the water sample. This helps researchers and resource managers pinpoint where they should focus traditional sampling efforts.

View a map of invasive carp detections in the region: 

Bighead and Silver Carp eDNA Monitoring Desktop Dashboard

Mobile Bighead and Silver Carp eDNA App

Metabarcoding

Two USFWS employees on a boat conducting metabarcoding sampling.
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Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office employees collecting Metabarcoding samples in Sandusky.

The Whitney Genetics Lab and the Northeast Fishery Center are teaming up to bring cutting-edge science to the fight against aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes. Through the Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Early Detection and Monitoring Program, they’re using a powerful tool called metabarcoding—a method that lets scientists identify DNA in the environment from multiple species in a single sample. This technique works by analyzing tiny traces of DNA left behind from fish in the environment, helping biologists quickly and efficiently detect which fish might be present in an area. 

Metabarcoding complements traditional sampling by helping field crews identify which species might be present, so they can bring the right gear and improve their chances of catching live fish. Compared to traditional methods, metabarcoding is faster, more sensitive, and less disruptive to aquatic habitats—making it a smart addition to the Service’s early detection toolkit.

Our Species

Invasive species are non-native plants, animals and other living organisms that thrive in areas where they don’t naturally live, causing (or are likely to cause) economic, environmental harm, human harm or impacting animal or plant health. Invasive species degrade, change or displace native habitats, compete with native fish and wildlife, and are major threats to biodiversity. The Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection and Monitoring program monitors for invasive fish and invertebrate species that are at high risk of invading the Great Lakes. 

Currently, we focus on high-risk species identified by: 

A fish and wildlife service employee holds up a bright orange fish that is about seven inches long.
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Invasive Goldfish found during traditional sampling in Lake St. Claire, Michigan.