RECENT ANS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Following more than two years of consumer research and planning, the State of Illinois unveiled “Copi,” the new name for Asian carp. The new name and brand are designed to address public misconceptions about this delicious top-feeding fish, which is overrunning Midwest waterways.

The new name is a play on “copious” – as that’s exactly what these fish are. By one estimate, 20 million to 50 million pounds of Copi could be harvested from the Illinois River alone each year, with hundreds of millions more in waterways from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast. Changing a fish’s name has been a tried-and-true strategy for other fish. Orange roughy was originally known as slimehead; Chilean sea bass was known as Patagonian toothfish (it’s not even a bass); and peekytoe crab was once known as mud crab. This strategy has been used for more than fish: exporters introduced Chinese gooseberries as “kiwi,” for instance. FULL PRESS RELEASE.

Call for Speakers: Southern Division of American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting

Tanya Darden (South Carolina DNR) and Zanethia Barnett (USDA Forest Service) will be hosting a symposium focused on “Understanding aquatic population structures using population genetic techniques” at the Southern Division of American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting in Norfolk VA February 2-5, 2023. We are looking for prospective speakers to get a rough count on how many talks to expect; signing up now is not a commitment, but please let us know if you do submit an abstract when the time comes. Please send author names and talk titles (that are subject to change) to Zanethia Barnett Zanethia.c.barnett@usda.gov.

Topics can include but are not limited to:

  • Fragmentation in aquatic systems
  • Migration pathways of aquatic organisms
  • Invasion origin
  • Identifying at risk populations using population genetic techniques

UPCOMING MEETINGS

UPCOMING WEBINARS

NAISMA Monthly Webinars:

July 20, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT - “Jumping Worms:” What We Know Now

August 17, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT - How to Get Your Project Funded

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service- Injurious Wildlife Listing Coordinator

USFWS announces a Injurious Wildlife Listing Coordinator vacancy in Headquarters (Falls Church). The incumbent serves as a senior Fish and Wildlife Biologist responsible for providing general staff support to the Branch Chief, Division Chief, Deputy Assistant Director, and Assistant Director–Fish and Aquatic Conservation; staying abreast of potentially controversial issues; and providing analysis and recommendations on current and emerging 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 issues at national and international levels.  The incumbent is a recognized Service and national expert on injurious wildlife provisions of the Lacey Act (18 U.S.C. 42), as implemented through regulations contained in 50 CFR part 16.  For rule promulgations under their purview, they will manage all aspects of the Injurious Wildlife listing process under the Lacey Act ensuring Injurious Wildlife listings comply with the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and all other applicable laws, executive orders, and policies.

Announcement number: 22-11546429-SM-SDHA; Open & closing dates:  06/27/2022 to 07/08/2022

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

None this week.

RECOMMENDED READING

None this week.

ANS IN THE NEWS…  

Scientists trace black stains on beachgoers’ feet to invasive species

June 26, 2022. A massive die-off of hemlock woolly adelgid last year left millions of fly corpses along shores and beaches from Maine to Massachusetts.

The Line Between ‘Invasive’ and ‘Native’ Blurs

June 25, 2022. Not all invasive plant species are damaging to Toronto’s ecosystems. Treating them like they are could do more harm than good.

All-hands-on-deck needed to slow the spread of European Green Crabs

June 25, 2022. Efforts are ramping up to control the explosion of invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) in western Washington.

Connecticut offers new funding to fight invasive species in local waters

June 22, 2022. Five Fairfield County entities were among the recipients of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) second round of grant funding through the Aquatic Invasive Species Grant Program.

History Highlight: APHIS Establishes National Program to Combat Destructive Feral Swine

June 22, 2022. To augment ongoing feral swine activities, the 2018 Farm Bill provided funding for APHIS and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to create the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program. The pilot program targets areas with high feral swine populations, mostly in the southeastern United States.

Largest python ever found in Florida is 18 feet long and weighs a whopping 200 pounds

June 21, 2022. The largest Burmese python ever seen in Florida has been discovered, lured out of its hiding place in the Everglades by researchers who used another python as bait, National Geographic reported(opens in new tab).

Emergency Measures To Control Invasive European Green Crabs Underway

June 21, 2022. The WDFW says that deployment of emergency measures to control invasive European green crabs on the Washington Coast and at sites within the Salish Sea are underway.

Blood-sucking sea lampreys threaten Great Lakes ecosystem

June 20, 2022. The bi-national Great Lakes Fishery Commission is spreading awareness of a blood-sucking fish that has been wreaking havoc to ecosystems for decades.

Water test: Rending the Great Lakes food web

June 20, 2020.  The food web in lakes Michigan and Huron has changed in ways that jeopardize age-old fishing traditions and raise questions about how we’ve managed them.

Albatross populations are declining due to invasive mouse species

June 20, 2022. New research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, shows long-lived species may suffer greater impacts from predation than was previously thought.

Employing Native Predators in Dealing with Invasive Species

June 20, 2022. Humans have been killing larger native predators and other species that they have competed with or feared throughout evolution. This process was especially successful in Ireland and the United Kingdom, where lynx and wolves that people once shared their lives with are no longer present.

How the IJC Helped Shape the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

June 14, 2022. Since its inception 50 years ago in 1972, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) between Canada and the United States has been the cornerstone of how the two countries jointly manage these magnificent bodies of water.