Clean Angling News

   Its likely that you are sick of hearing about budgets, deficits and spending. However, we must be careful as our race to eliminate government spending will cost us far more when we have to pay to mitigate the impacts of invasive species problems created or worsened through ill advised budget cuts. Here are a trio of stories that illustrate the problem.

   Years of economic downturn and the resulting cuts to invasive species spending are having consequences in Hawaii. Some are noticeable now, but many more may remain hidden until newly introduced species establish themselves in the forests, farms and backyards.  Read More 

   The Texas Parks and Wildlife budget is facing significant cuts. with a nearly $91 million shortfall compared with the 2011 budget and a $136 million deficit compared with the 2010 budget.  A chunk of this comes from invasive species efforts where the fight against noxious invasive vegetation will be defunded by $1.5 million for the biennium. This could give rise to the suffocating giant salvinia plant and harmful algae blooms in certain water bodies. Read More

   The Great Lakes sea lamprey control program might be one of the great conservation success stories of the past half-century, but now cuts are planned for the agency that is charged with killing the bloodsucking parasites. The proposed 2012 budget calls for cutting about $3 million from the $18.7 million program. That relatively modest loss could have dramatic effects on the Great Lakes and the $7 billion fishery they sustain, says Marc Gaden, spokesman for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, which oversees the lamprey control program. Read More

Earthworms as Invaders

      Most of us take them for granted and few would ever think them invaders but the fact is that many of the earthworms that are so common in our soils are actually invaders and may be causing more disruption to the environment than we had ever considered.

     According to a recent article in the journal  Human Ecology, invasive earthworms can alter the carbon and nitrogen cycles in woodlands to the detriment of native plant species. Researchers found that the presence of non-native worms also accelerated the breakdown of forest litter, increasing the risk of soil erosion. The BBC has done an excellent report on this research  Read More

    The western Great Lakes region has no native earthworms, Scraped down to bare rock during the Ice Age, the soils created since then had no worms until they were introduced by Europeans hundreds of years ago. Researchers are now learning that these worms are significantly changing the forests of this region as explained in a very interesting article and video from the National Science Foundation. Read More

Minnesota Public Demands Better AIS Response 

Asian Carp Fight Continues

     Asian carp are a serious invader and the threat that they could access the Great Lakes has been a major news story for the past few years. Any regular reader of the Clean Angling News knows that we provide updates on this story on a monthly basis. We can't put background information about the problem in every issue so to learn all about this complex problem we are suggesting that you check out this excellent information.  Read More

   The state against state battle to force Illinois to close the man made connection between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River drainage took on a new twist recently. Attorneys General from Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New York announced in August that they were working to build a national coalition of Attorneys Generals to join their fight for the closure of this waterway. This has proven successful as they recently announced that the idea of separation has now drawn endorsements from attorneys general in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.Read More

State by State

   Connecticut - Two non-native species found in Long Island Sound are raising concerns about impact on the estuary's ecosystem as well as on commercial and recreational shellfishing in the state.  Read More

   New York - Professor George Kraemer brings students into the field to conduct research on how the invasive Asian Shore Crab effects the Long Island Sound's ecological balance.  Read More

  Utah - The Utah Division of Wildlife has released a short video showing a typical boat inspection and decontamination at a highway inspection station.  Read More

  Montana - The September issue of the Montana Water News features an interview with Invasive Species Action Network Program Director, Leah Elwell.  Read More

  Florida - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, with a big assist from North Florida catfish guru Don Minchew, is enjoying success in convincing anglers to catch and eat flathead catfish   Read More

  Idaho -  At least 24 boats harboring invasive quagga mussels have been intercepted at Idaho’s roadside boat inspection stations. That may not seem like a huge catch from more than 40,000 boat inspections during that period, but officials say the region stands to lose big if just one boat brings the exotics into state waters.  Read More

 Wisconsin - The Wisconsin DNR is using a new piece of technology to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in the northland. It's a voluntary rinse for boaters that may also ease the ecosystem's peace of mind.  Read More

  Missouri - Rock snot is a potentially emerging threat to Missouri's aquatic ecosystems. Dan Zarlenga from the Missouri Department Of Conservation says the invading threat lives up to its name.  Watch Video

  Texas - Texas Parks and Wildlife officials were dismayed when  a pre-teen girl dunked a hook baited with a piece of hot dog into the 23-acre lake in Tom Bass Park on Aug. 27 and pulled out a flapping, snapping, hand-size fish - a red-bellied piranha.  Read More

Location Matters: For Invasive Aquatic Species, It's Better to Start Upstream

   Researchers have found that a species invasion that starts at the upstream edge of its range may have a major advantage over downstream competitors, at least in environments with a strong prevailing direction of water or wind currents.Their findings, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help inform the control of invasive species and the conservation of imperiled native species.  Read More

Potpourri

  A selection of stories not directly related to aquatic invasives.

   A 20-year University of Florida study shows that Florida has the worst invasive species problem in the world. Specifically, invasive reptiles and amphibians have had disastrous ecological impacts in Florida spanning over 100 years. Read More

    Homeowners and taxpayers are picking up most of the tab for damages caused by invasive tree-feeding insects that are inadvertently imported along with packing materials, live plants, and other goods. Wood-boring insects such as the emerald ash borer and the Asian longhorned beetle exact an estimated $1.7 billion in local government expenditures, and approximately $830 million in lost residential property values each year. Read More

    Almost two years ago, a tiny immigrant pest arrived in Georgia, and there’s nothing the state’s immigration office can do to make it leave. The bean plataspid, or kudzu bug, munches on kudzu and soybeans and has now set up residence in four Southern states. Homeowners consider the bug a nuisance. Soybean producers shudder at the damage it causes. And many are hoping it will prove to be a kudzu killer. Read More 

     Japanese barberry is an invasive species that is popular for landscaping projects because of its colorful foliage and red berries. It has also been seen as a natural barrier on properties due to its thorn-covered branches. However, the plant is more than just aesthetic -- it also is home to significant black-legged tick populations. Read More 

September 2011

   It seems like every day we hear some new story about the state of our economy and government spending. As our lead stories show we risk a lot in our fight against invasives as budget cuts hit.

   Although I have long known that many earthworms are actually invaders but I was fascinated and disturbed by what I learned when putting together this newsletter. Check out the worm stories to learn more about these invaders.

   The Invasive Species Action Network (ISAN) produces this newsletter and conducts a number of other programs. You can learn more about our work by downloading the ISAN Annual Activity Report

   If there is something you like or dislike about the newsletter, email us at newsletter@stopans.org Let us know what you would like to see in future issues of the News.

Bob Wiltshire
Executive Director ISAN

   If you prefer you can view the September 2011 Clean Angling News online

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