RECENT ANS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Aquatic Invasive Species in Commerce Summit: March 8, 2023, 10am-1pm Pacific Time

Save the Date and Register for a virtual summit on Aquatic Invasive Species in Commerce. This 3-hour summit will identify gaps and issues and set the stage to develop strategies and actions to minimize risks posed by aquatic plants and pets in commerce. Expert presenters and panelists will share information on ecommerce, monitoring and inspection, labeling and recordkeeping, regulations and enforcement, voluntary industry standards, and outreach associated with plants and animals in trade. The summit will conclude with the launch of seven work groups to collaboratively develop actionable items to minimize the spread of 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 in commerce.

2023 Western AIS Short Course

This annual AIS Short Course provides a vital bridge between landowners, aquatics professionals, researchers, and aquatics managers. We are pleased to announce that our inaugural course will be held at the Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown in Missoula, Montana on March 7th, and 8th 2023. REGISTER HERE.

Attendees of the course will benefit from this program by:

  • Obtaining CEUs for Aquatic Pest Control Applicator License
  • Gaining first-hand AIS knowledge from regional professionals at the county, state, and federal level.
  • Receiving updates on current research from key professionals in the field of aquatics management
  • Learning to identify invasive and priority AIS species in the regional area
  • Streamlining communication between aquatics professionals, aquatics contractors, and private landowners
  • Gaining education on preventative tactics on small- and large-scale levels
  • Having the opportunity to network with managers and researchers during the short course social hour.

Supplemental Notice to the Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its intent to develop a Supplemental Notice to the Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance proposed rule. EPA anticipates that the Supplemental Notice will provide clarification on the proposed rule, share new ballast water data that EPA is receiving from the U.S. Coast Guard, and discuss additional regulatory options EPA is considering for the final rule. EPA intends to sign the Supplemental Notice in the Fall of 2023 and make it available for public comment in the Federal Register shortly thereafter. During the comment period, EPA will solicit comments specific to the issues identified in the Supplemental Notice. EPA anticipates that the final rule addressing public comments received on both the proposed rule and the Supplemental Notice will be signed for publication in the Fall of 2024. This schedule will be reflected in the 2023 Spring Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda. Information on the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) and EPA’s proposed rule are available on EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/vessels-marinas-and-ports/commercial-vessel-discharge-standards

WRCA 2022: Public Comment Period

The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct a 60-day public comment period to provide an opportunity for the public to give input and recommendations on the implementation of any provision contained in the WRDA of 2022.

Additionally, the ASA(CW) and USACE will host a series of virtual public listening sessions where participants can provide input and recommendations on the implementation of any WRDA 2022 provision. The public may attend the virtual listening sessions via Webex meeting https://usace1.webex.com/meet/WRDA2022 or by phone (Phone Number: 844-800-2712, Code: 199 937 4287) on the days and times listed below.

  • February 15, 2023 - 2:00-4:00 pm Eastern
  • February 22, 2023 - 2:00-4:00 pm Eastern
  • March 1, 2023 - 2:00-4:00 pm Eastern

 The public comment period will be held from January 20 through March 21, 2023.  You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID No. COE-2023-0002, by any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/

Mississippi River Science Forum, February 15-16, 2023

The Mississippi River is a multi-faceted, complex resource in the United States that needs a comprehensive and coordinated plan to address science and management needs.  As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (H.R. 2471), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was asked to host a Mississippi River Science Forum in 2023.  We hope to share current science, identify data gaps and areas of concern, and to prioritize next steps related to goals of improving water quality, restoring habitat and natural systems, improving navigation, eliminating aquatic invasive species, and building local resilience to natural disasters. Because the Forum is a Microsoft Teams Live event, there will be no formal registration.  Here are the links to each day’s venues:

We plan to record the Forum and make each speaker’s presentation available afterwards.  You will also be able to submit questions through the chat, which will either be answered during the Forum or shortly thereafter. For any questions, please send to this email address: usgs-Mississippi_River@doimspp.onmicrosoft.com. 

Wildlife Forever Leads The War on Carp™ campaign with support from AFTCO

Wildlife Forever is excited to announce new leadership of the War on Carp campaign raising awareness of invasive carps and needs for enhanced management and control. Invasive carps such as Silver, Bighead, and Black, are expanding their range and have proven to wreak havoc on lakes, rivers, and local economies.  Through renewed conservation marketing and public outreach efforts, Wildlife Forever and AFTCO (American Fishing Tackle Company) plan to expand the War on Carp education campaign, providing new tools and resources to educate the public in support of increased state and federal management. FULL PRESS RELEASE.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

UPCOMING WEBINARS

North American Invasive Species Management Association Webinar Series

February 15, 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CST: Webinar: 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).  A late 2019 report of a pike caught in Vogel Lake within the Miller Creek Watershed (MCW) isolated in the northern portion of the peninsula changed the narrative about the Kenai Peninsula being pike-free.  Covid-19 emerged during spring 2020 and the group had to pivot its approach to project planning to be done via multiple virtual meetings.  Eradication efforts took place in 2021 and restoration efforts began in 2022.  This project has been able to move forward utilizing the Early Detection Rapid Response approach to invasive species management despite multiple challenges brought about by the pandemic.  An overview of the project and lessons learned thus far will be summarized.

March 15, 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT: Webinar: Preventing the Spread of Invasive Species through PlayCleanGo and WorkCleanGo

PlayCleanGo®: Stop Invasive Species In Your Tracks® is NAISMA’s official, branded, registered, trademark-protected education and outreach program aimed at stopping the spread of invasive species through outdoor recreational pathways. The international campaign is grounded in a Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) strategy. NAISMA partners and PlayCleanGo supporters share prevention communication through social channels, as this proven outdoor recreation focused campaign aims to prevent the spread of invasive species by effecting behavior change and reminding recreationists to clean their gear every time they go to their favorite or a new recreation area. This is achieved through positive messaging that resonates with recreationists’ and field workers’ values, and includes a clear call to action to clean boots, boats, and other outdoor gear.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) Section Lead - Environmental Planner 5 - Perm - *01359-23

This is an opportunity to coordinate and facilitate resolution on highly complex inter-program, interagency, tribal, stakeholder, regional and national VIDA issues. In this dynamic role, you will implement activities to support a broad range of aquatic environmental, economic, and human cultural and health resource protections. With your experience, you will lead the investigation of violations for ballast water management. You are excited to protect human safety, minimizing adverse environmental impacts, and minimizing adverse economic impacts to owners of affected water bodies or property.

Washington State University

Postdoctoral Research Associate - Wildlife Trade and Amphibian Diseases

The Brunner Lab (https://labs.wsu.edu/brunner/) in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University is seeking a postdoctoral research associate to contribute to a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional NSF EEID-funded project, “Socioeconomic and Epidemiological Drivers of Pathogen Dynamics in Wildlife Trade Networks.” The postdoc will lead efforts in the Brunner lab to estimate the prevalence of three OIE-notifiable amphibian pathogens—Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), B. salamandrivorans (Bsal), and Ranavirus spp. (Rv)—among anonymous participating pet trade facilities. They will also have ample opportunity to collaborate with other groups in the project, including social scientists, mathematical modelers, and other disease ecologists, and to initiate related research projects. Opportunities for student mentoring and outreach are available. The postdoc would be based in Pullman, Washington, but would be encouraged to also work with co-PI Piovia-Scott (https://labs.wsu.edu/piovia-scott/) on the WSU campus in Vancouver, WA. Questions about the position can be directed to Dr. Jesse Brunner (jesse.brunner@wsu.edu).

American Conservation Experience 

Invasive Species Member, Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex

American Conservation Experience

Shirley, New York, United States (On-Site)

American Conservation Experience (ACE), a non-profit conservation corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking TWO Shorebird Monitoring and Biology Support Members to contribute to the biology program alongside Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex Staff.

For more information about ACE, please visit: www.usaconservation.org.

Start Date: May 22, 2023 Estimated End Date: September 22, 2023

Invasive Species Member Rydell and Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuges

American Conservation Experience

Erskine, Minnesota, United States (On-Site)

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is seeking one Invasive Species Member  to contribute to work alongside Rydell and Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge Staff. During this term, the ACE members will work on meaningful conservation projects such as invasive species inventory and removal.

Start Date: May 2023 Estimated End Date: September/October 2023

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

TRPA is seeking quotes for on-call aquatic invasive species control and surveillance dive services. All interested SCUBA dive contractors located in or willing to commute to the Lake Tahoe region are encourage to submit their qualifications. TRPA is seeking to increase the pace and scale of aquatic invasive species (AIS) control and surveillance occurring in Lake Tahoe, its tributaries, marinas, and embayments. February 21, 2023 – Bidding Firms’ Questions Due; March 15, 2023 – Deadline for Proposal Submissions. The Request for Proposals (#230007) can be viewed here: https://www.trpa.gov/contact/request-for-proposals/

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Program Secret Shopper: TRPA is requesting qualifications from all interested contractors to conduct independent assessments of program protocols at watercraft inspection stations and boat launch facilities. This request for proposal is seeking bids from qualified entities to perform independent quality control assessment of the Lake Tahoe Watercraft Inspection Program during the boating seasons of 2023-2024, typically June through September. This assessment will evaluate the effectiveness and accuracy of watercraft inspections being carried out, in accordance with Program protocols at watercraft inspection stations and launch facilities at Lake Tahoe. The Request for Proposals (#230006) can be viewed here: https://www.trpa.gov/contact/request-for-proposals/

RECOMMENDED READING

A New Horizon-Scanning Tool to Identify Potential Aquatic Invasive Alien Species Introduced into the Baltic Sea by Shipping

Dobrzycka-Krahel, A., & Medina-Villar, S. (2023). A New Horizon-Scanning Tool to Identify Potential Aquatic Invasive Alien Species Introduced into the Baltic Sea by Shipping. Water, 15(3), 531.

Valuing the contributions of non-native species to people and nature

Sax, Dov F., Martin A. Schlaepfer, and Julian D. Olden. "Valuing the contributions of non-native species to people and nature." Trends in Ecology & Evolution (2022).

ANS IN THE NEWS

She was reported to the police for spraying invasive lanternflies. Now she's been honored by Yale

February 5, 2023. Yale University has honored Bobbi Wilson, a 9-year-old Black girl who had the police called on her after spraying invasive spotted lanternflies. The Yale School of Public Health held a ceremony to celebrate Bobbi's efforts to eradicate the invasive species on January 20th, according to a news release from the university.

Department of Environment engages Agricultural Experts for the Invasive Alien Species Project

February 5, 2023. The Department of Environment entered the second phase of communication activities for the Invasive Alien Species (IAS) Project by engaging Agricultural Experts. The project aims to control what is considered invasive species or organisms that pose a threat to the environment like the green vervet monkey, brown rats and wild tamarind.

Heilman: Native fish species getting bad rap from state's anglers

February 5, 2023. If No Junk Fish is passed into law, the “rough fish” designation — entrenched into our collective consciousness for generations — should lose its power to suggest that the two dozen or so native species included are as worthless as carp.

Treat waders with Formula 409? New study confirms it kills invasive snails

February 4, 2023. Biology researchers in Michigan found the best way to kill invasive New Zealand mudsnails from fishing and boating gear is to heavily spritz with common household cleaner Formula 409.

New Bio-Security Exhibit at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

February 3, 2023. A recent survey of Hawai‘i residents shows that the vast majority (93%) consider invasive species a serious issue. The State is half-way through the implementation of the 2017-2027 Hawai‘i Interagency Biosecurity Plan to fill the gaps in invasive species prevention and control, and with the aim to increase awareness in helping to protect Hawai‘i.

In Texas, hunters shoot feral pigs from helicopters

February 3, 2023. In Bryan, Texas, the company Helibacon charges hunters about $3,000 to spend two hours in a helicopter, gunning down wild pigs with everything from assault rifles to fully automatic submachine guns.

The World According to Carp

February 1, 2023. However, a new effort from Wildlife Forever and supported by AFTCO, which has proven itself a perennial champion of good things in fishing and conservation, shows promise of slowing the spread.

An invasive snakehead fish species has been removed from a Manatee County pond

January 31, 2023.  The invasive species was first spotted in Manatee County by a local fish enthusiast in 2020. Shortly after the discovery, the United States Geological Survey began to research the species' impact on the environment.

New Jersey needs law to control invasive species

January 30, 2023.  Fortunately, the state Legislature seems committed to finding solutions. In December, the state Senate Environment and Energy Committee advanced a bill that, if passed, would help rein in the spread of invasives through better regulation, including a ban on the sale of invasive plants.  The legislation would also reinstate the New Jersey Invasive Species Council, an advisory group that was eliminated in 2010 under Gov. Chris Christie.

On The Water: 'Goby, Oh, Woe Is Me,' NY Fights An Invasive Fish

January 28, 2023.  For the second year, environmental leaders are making a stand to beat back the advance of the dangerous round goby invasion.

Invasive jellyfish are thriving in Missouri's lakes. What's going on?

January 28, 2023. The species Craspedacusta sowerbii, also known as the peach blossom or freshwater jellyfish, are common throughout Missouri’s lakes, reservoirs, and other slow-moving bodies of water, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Is This Invasive Flying Fish Going To Take Over The Tennessee River?

January 28, 2023. Yet, here we are, facing another crisis with a foreign invasive species. This time it's the Asian carp - in particular, the Asian silver carp: a fish poised to destory habitat for our native fish and make recreational boating impossible along our beautiful Tennessee River.

Slimy Invasive Fish Explosion Clogs Water Supplies After Huge Floods

January 27, 2023. S warms of slimy gray fish are clogging up irrigation water filters in Australia thanks to a flood-triggered boom in their population. Weather loach are an invasive species in Australia, especially in rivers like the Murray.

County to hold virtual forum on how to respond in case of invasive mussel introduction

January 26, 2023. The Lake County Water Resources Department, partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and consultants at Creative Resource Strategies, invites the public to attend a virtual forum to discuss how the county will respond in the event invasive quagga or zebra mussels become introduced or established in Clear Lake.

SIU student’s research may lead to better control of invasive pythons

January 26, 2023. Using the signal from the still-transmitting collar, wildlife officials were able to capture the 62-pound snake. In doing so, the team also confirmed a possible means of tracking and ultimately removing the elusive reptiles.

From Japanese knotweed to grey squirrel: How one chef is plating up invasive species

January 26, 2023. But when grilled and served alongside a salad of brassica and a cured egg yolk, Japanese knotweed takes on a more unsuspecting appearance. It is tender and tart, often compared to rhubarb in flavour but with more versatility, suiting both savoury and sweet dishes.

US EPA VIDA: What you need to know for 2023

January 25, 2023. On October 26, 2020, EPA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance -was published in the Federal Register for public comments. The proposed rule aims to reduce the environmental impact of discharges, such as ballast water, that are incidental to the normal operation of commercial vessels.

Hunting Invasive Species for the Environment

January 24, 2023. Hunting has driven many species to extinction, while many more species continue to be threatened by poachers. But when hunters turn their attention to invasive species, they can provide an environmental benefit.

Study: Invasive Black Carp Are Established In Mississippi River Basin

January 24, 2023. Black carp, an invasive fish species in North America, are now known to be established in the wild in parts of the Mississippi River basin, according to a new study co-authored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The study is the first to identify an established population—meaning they are naturally reproducing and living to adulthood—of wild black carp in any location across the U.S.

By the Numbers: Efforts make headway against aquatic invasive species

January 23, 2023. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) efforts to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) in Michigan took many forms in 2022: grants, educational webinars, mobile boat-washing stations, and more.