RECENT ANS ANNOUNCEMENTS

2023 Western AIS Short Course: Registration Now Open!

This annual AIS Short Course provides a vital bridge between landowners, aquatics professionals, researchers, and aquatics contractors. We are pleased to announce that our inaugural course will be held at the Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown in Missoula, Montana on March 7th - 8th, 2023. Breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days, as well as complimentary swag with each guest registration.

  • Learn about aquatic habitats and proper AIS management strategies.
  • Participate in curriculum items such as: AIS Species ID, Basics of Water Quality, Harmful Algal Blooms, Shoreline Management Techniques, Herbicide Mode of Action, Managing AIS, and many more!
  • Network with regional aquatics managers at the private, county, state, and federal level.
  • Earn Continuing Educational Credits (CEUs) for licensed aquatic applicators.

Registration Closes February 20th, 2023

UPCOMING MEETINGS

UPCOMING WEBINARS

North American Invasive Species Management Association Webinar Series

January 18, 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CST - Miller Creek Watershed Restoration: The Value of Partnership During a Pandemic

Salmonids are critical components of the transitional boreal forest and temperate rainforests of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Alaska Natives and the local economy are dependent upon subsistence, recreational, and commercial fisheries that target these species. Invasive Northern Pike (Esox lucius) (pike), which prey upon and threaten local salmonids, were thought to have been eradicated from the Kenai Peninsula across multiple waterbodies in early 2019 following a concerted multi-year effort by Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G).

National Conservation Training Center: Conservation Lecture Series

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 from 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST  - Injurious Wildlife Under the Misunderstood Lacey Act

The law commonly known as the “Lacey Act” has diverged over the years into two provisions, one of which is the Federal designation of injurious wildlife species. That purpose has always been to protect the United States from the introduction of invasive and otherwise harmful wildlife. Injurious listing prohibits the importation of wild vertebrates and some invertebrates that can cause harm to wildlife resources, humans, and other U.S. interests. However, most natural resource biologists and managers are more familiar with the more prominent provision of the “Lacey Act,” which tackles trafficking of wildlife and plants. What the “Lacey Act” is and isn’t and the difference between the injurious and trafficking provisions will be explained. The presentation will emphasize how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service focuses on adding high-risk wildlife species to the Federal injurious list before they become established and how effective that has been in preventing the establishment of those injurious animals. Finally, the relevance of injurious wildlife listing to the COVID-19 pandemic may surprise you.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks: Invasive Carp Removal Specialist

The Invasive Carp Removal Specialist is responsible for fishing with commercial gear to harvest invasive carps from waters of the Mississippi and Yazoo River Basins in Mississippi. This position is governed by state and federal laws and agency policy. Salary $16.00 / hr

Minimum Education and/or Experience:   The formal education equivalent of a high school diploma; plus two years of experience in operating a motor vehicle with trailer and boat with motor. Other job related education and/or experience may be substituted for all or part of these basic requirements, except for certification or licensure requirements, upon approval of the MDWFP. Must have a valid Driver’s License, and a boating safety education course certificate if born after June 30, 1982.

Typical Functions: Operate a motor vehicle pulling a boat trailer. Operate and maintain a boat and outboard motor. Use commercial fishing gears to capture invasive carps. Record information on fish capture locations, numbers, dates and equipment types. Collect biological data as directed from a subset of harvested invasive carps. Work with team members at locations specified by the MDWFP to remove invasive carps from specific water bodies in Mississippi. Record and submit paperwork regarding work hours and activities.

Applications must include complete work history and references in their resume. Applicants should submit their resume to dennis.riecke@wfp.ms.gov . For more information call Dennis Riecke 601-432-2207.  Applications will be accepted until position is filled.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

None this week.

RECOMMENDED READING

Mismatch between media coverage and research on invasive species: The case of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Argentina

Ballari, S. A., & Barrios-García, M. N. (2022). Mismatch between media coverage and research on 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 : The case of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Argentina. Plos one, 17(12), e0279601.

Development of Species-specific Cichla species eDNA Primers for Rapid Alien Invasive Species (AIS) Monitoring

Osman, N. F. N., Bakar, A. A., Saidin, S., Rahman, R. A., Abd Ghani, I. F., Amirrudin, A., & Azizah, S. (2022). Development of Species-specific Cichla species eDNA Primers for Rapid Alien Invasive Species (AIS) Monitoring. Tropical Genetics, 2(1), 1-10.

Knowledge needs in economic costs of invasive species facilitated by canalization

Balzani, P., Cuthbert, R. N., Briski, E., Galil, B., Castellanos-Galindo, G. A., Kouba, A., ... & Haubrock, P. J. (2022). Knowledge needs in economic costs of invasive species facilitated by canalisation. NeoBiota 78: 207–223.

AIS IN THE NEWS

Cruise Ship Denied Entry in Multiple Ports Due to Biofouling

January 3, 2023. A cruise ship, Viking Orion was denied entry in Adelaide, Australia due to biofouling. 

Invasive species captured at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees

January 2, 2023. Not all carp are native to NE Oklahoma waters and thus are labeled ‘invasive

Invasive European green crabs found for sale at Seattle market

January 2, 2023. The Seattle seller had bought the live green crabs from a seller in Massachusetts with the intention of selling them for crab stock and soup, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Invasive nutria rats declared officially eradicated in Chesapeake Bay area

December 31, 2022. After a two-decade-long, $30 million effort to trap and kill the invasive species, wildlife experts have claimed victory in eradicating it from shores along the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay.

GFP seeking comments on draft Aquatic Invasive Species Strategic Plan; Deadline is Dec. 31

December 28, 2022. The draft AIS strategic plan can be found online at: https://gfp.sd.gov/management-plans/.

Ancient tool could help new tech protect Great Lakes waters from sea lamprey

December 27, 2022. Researchers at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission believe they have found a tool to help: combining new technology with an ancient tool, the Archimedes screw.

Turkish fishermen set sights on invasive ‘Israeli’ carp

December 27, 2022. Originally named Prussian carp, or carassius gibelio, the fish, one of 26 invasive species in the Black Sea region of the country, is called "Israeli" by local fishermen

Portman, Brown Legislation to Combat Invasive Species, Protect Water Quality in Great Lakes Signed into Law as Part of FY 2023 NDAA

December 23, 2022. Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that two of their bipartisan pieces of legislation to protect and improve waterways of the Great Lakes have been signed into law as part of the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The second, the Aquatic Invasive Species Control Act, will expand the Aquatic Plant Control Program to include the Lake Erie Basin and the Ohio River Basin, and directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize hydrilla projects.

The true cost of invasive species on islands shown in new study

December 22, 2022. A new paper underscores the urgency with which we should protect and restore island-ocean ecosystems by highlighting the enormous cost that invasive species have – not just ecologically, but socioeconomically too. Biosecurity and effective project management emerge as key aspects to mitigating these costs. 

How tackling invasive species on land can spark ‘stunning’ improvements at sea

December 22, 2022. Restoring islands devastated by invasive species and helping coastal “connectors” like seabirds boosts nature on land and at sea — and may be a new way to increase resilience to climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change , researchers said Monday.

Invasive species directory released

December 22, 2022. China released a directory of invasive species on Tuesday in order for departments to prioritize their control.

Aquatic Invasive Species Driving Up Costs Of Boating In Some Parks

December 22, 2022. Ever-rising expenses in the battle against aquatic invasive species in the National Park System are driving up the costs of boating in some parks.

Why do iguanas fall from trees when it’s cold? Here are 9 things to know

December 21, 2022. “Beware of falling iguanas,” a winter warning you will only hear in Florida.