Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force

Control

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After a species becomes established, management options include containment, control, and, if possible, eradication. Containment efforts are used to prevent further spread of the targeted ANS, while control efforts are used to suppress aquatic nuisance species populations to slow the rate of range expansion and lessen the impacts to public interests. Below are key resources developed by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, its members, regional panels, or subcommittees to control existing populations of aquatic nuisance species:

Control Subcommittee Documents

• Guidance for Aquatic Nuisance Species Control and Management Plans (2025) Cohesive guidance manual for Aquatic Nuisance Species Control and Management Plans, including decision-making process to determine if a control plan is warranted, the plan development process, required content for a control plan, and the plan archival process. 
         o Memo recommending archival of the Ruffe Control Plan (2025)
• Assessment of the Species Control and Management Plans of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force  – assessment of the current status of each of the nine Species Control and Management Plans approved by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force to determine whether a plan should remain active, be revised, or be archived.
• Summary of Gaps in Control and Restoration Measures(2021) – Survey conducted by the Aquatic Nuisance Specie Task Force Control Subcommittee to identify gaps in control and restoration measures and measures that are needed to address the deficiency. 

National ANS Management and Control Plans

When the ANS Task Force determines that control of an aquatic nuisance species is warranted, recommended actions are organized into a comprehensive management plan that focuses on essential tasks designed to minimize the impact to areas where ANS have already invaded and prevent spread into additional habitats. Species management plans are developed through a cooperative process, with committee members from Federal and State agencies, non-governmental organizations, industry representatives, subject matter experts, and others. The plans also undergo review by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force members and regional panels, with opportunities for public review.

The Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force also provides guidance and technical support to develop state or interstate management plans for ANS. A list approved State and Interstate ANS Plans is found under the Documents tab.

There are currently nine National Aquatic Nuisance Species Management and Control Plans approved by the ANS Task Force:

• Brown tree snake, approved June 1996
• Eurasian ruffe, approved November 1996; archived 2025.
  • Ruffe Control Program - Summary of Actions Report (2023) – Prepared on behalf of partners and contributors to the Ruffe Control Program Prepared for the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. Summary of actions since the ruffe invasion in 1986 through a library search, literature review, partner contributions, interviews and consultation with agency representatives.
  • Memo recommending archival of the Ruffe Control Plan  (2025)
• European green crab, approved November 2002; revision approved June 2024
• Mitten crabs, approved November 2003.
• Caulerpa species (an invasive algae), approved October 2005.
• Snakehead, approved November 2006, revision approved May 2015.
• New Zealand mudsnail, approved May 2007.
  • DRAFT REVISED National Management and Control Plan for New Zealand Mudsnail
• Invasive carp (black carp, bighead carp, grass carp, and silver carp), approved November 2007.
• Lionfish, approved May 2015.

Regional Species Control and Management Plans:

Regional Panels of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force have also developed Management and Control Plans to identify regional strategies to address species of concern.

• Quagga-Zebra Mussel Action Plan for Western U.S. Waters (QZAP) – developed by the Western Regional Panel and approved by the ANS Task Force in 2010. The plan has since become the Department of the Interior's roadmap for addressing the western spread of quagga and zebra mussels.
• Updated Recommendations for the Quagga and Zebra Mussel Action Plan for Western U.S. Waters (QZAP 2.0) – provides current detailed and measurable objectives that will further the existing collaborative efforts on invasive mussels and provide a framework to guide WRP members and their partners in decision-making and implementation in the future.
• Connecticut River Hydrilla Control Project Five-Year Management Plan – developed by the Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel as five-year plan for hydrilla infestations that relies heavily upon monitoring and adaptive management.
• Northern Snakehead Plan for Chesapeake Bay Watershed (2023) – prepared by the Chesapeake Bay Northern Snakehead Plan Working Group, submitted to the Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species. Complements the National Snakehead Plan, with emphasis on concerns within the Chesapeake Bay watershed