Reduce Risks from Invasive Species Coalition » rriscmockup

Zebra Mussels

rriscmockup — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 17:05:22 +0000

Zebra mussels (scientific name: Dreissena polymorpha) entered the Great Lakes in ballast water from ships originating in Eurasia in 1988. Zebra mussels are thought to be contributing to the Toledo, Ohio water supply issues in the summer of 2014 by feeding on native algae that would otherwise compete with the toxic algae that are making Lake Erie water undrinkable. They have spread through commerce, and by attaching themselves to the hulls of recreational boats. They are now found throughout the Great Lakes, Mississippi River Basin, and are moving up the Missouri River. Isolated populations have also been found in the Great Basin and California. Zebra mussels clog pipes of every sort, dramatically change the ecology of infected aquatic ecosystems, and grow in dense colonies that threaten native species.

Asian Longhorned beetle

rriscmockup — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:39:31 +0000

The Asian Longhorned beetle (scientific name: Anoplophora glabripennis) entered the United States in 1996 in New York City in contaminated packaging material from China. It has now spread beyond New York State to New Jersey, Massachusetts and Ohio, often through transportation of infected firewood. It attacks maple trees and other hardwood trees, and is a serious threat to northeastern forest ecosystems, as well as the timber and maple sugar/syrup industry. The vicinity of Worcester, Massachusetts is the hardest hit area in the northeast, with 34,000 trees having to be cut down to combat the beetle.

**For further reading on invasive beetles, please see this article…

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/nyregion/thousands-of-trees-will-fall-in-a-renewed-battle-to-stop-a-beetle.html?_r=0

Asian Carp

rriscmockup — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 16:58:23 +0000

Asian carp were introduced into the United States by fish farmers who wanted to control aquatic vegetation in their fish farms in the lower Mississippi River Basin. Unfortunately, during flood events they escaped their fish ponds and have been steadily moving up the Mississippi River toward the Great Lakes. Along the way they have devastated native fish populations. The four species of Asian carp comprise almost 95% of the biomass at some sampling sites in the Mississippi River. If the carp get into the Great Lakes, most likely at Lake Michigan through the Chicago Area Waterway System, they will be a serious threat to recreational and commercial fisheries in the Great Lakes, which are valued at billions of dollars annually. In January 2014, the US Army Corps of Engineers submitted to Congress the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study Report (GLMRIS). GLMRIS outlines a number of options to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp and other invasives species moving into the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River, and to protect the Mississippi River from invasives species getting into the Mississippi River system from the Great Lakes. Congress is actively considering the GLMRIS report.

Emerald Ash Borer

rriscmockup — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 17:00:28 +0000

The Emerald Ash Borer (scientific name: Agrilus planipenni) was introduced accidentally into Michigan in packing material from Asia in 2002. It has infested forests in the Midwest, New England, and Southeastern states, and is moving into the Great Plains. It is a serious threat to forests in general, and is particularly damaging to ash trees.

The USDA estimates the beetle has already killed tens of millions of ash trees, especially in the Midwest, including Illinois; Chicago may have to remove as many as 10,000 trees in a a fight against the Emerald Ash Borer.

“Ninety-nine percent of the ashes in North America are probably going to die,” said Andrew M. Liebhold, a research entomologist with the United States Forest Service. To tackle the emerald ash borers, scientists have experimented with chemical traps. More recently, scientists in New Hampshire have experimented with bringing Oobius agrili, a type of parasitic wasp, into the borer’s habitat. The wasps burrow into trees and eat borers and their eggs.

The emerald ash borers’ effect may not be as dire as Dr. Liebhold predicts. Dr. McCullough, the entomologist at Michigan State, noted that the bugs’ conquest varied by tree species and location. Of the four major species, black ash and green ash are probably lost, but the beetles kill only 60 percent to 70 percent of blue ash. White ash falls somewhere in between.

Northern Snakehead Fish

rriscmockup — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 13:04:02 +0000

The northern snakehead (scientific name: Channa argus) is a voracious predatory fish native to eastern Asia that was first discovered in Maryland in 2002, having been released from fish markets or the aquarium trade. It has thoroughly infested the Potomac River Basin, and isolated populations have also been found in lakes and rivers in southern California, Arkansas, Illinois, and North Carolina. It competes with and preys upon many native fish.

West Nile Virus

rriscmockup — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 12:54:49 +0000

Primarily an avian disease, West Nile Virus is native to Africa. It entered the United States in 1999, most likely through an infected international traveler. The virus subsequently was transmitted by birds that had been bitten by mosquitos infected with the virus, including the aggressive and invasive Asian Tiger Mosquito. After doing severe damage to some North American bird populations, the virus also spread from infected birds to humans and other domestic and wild mammals across the country. By 2012, more than 1,500 Americans had been killed by West Nile virus, and more than 37,000 had been diagnosed with the disease.

Eurasian milfoil

rriscmockup — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 12:51:16 +0000

Eurasian watermilfoil (scientific name: Myriophyllum spicatum) is an invasive aquatic weed widely distributed in the eastern hemisphere that entered the United States either through ballast water or the aquarium trade sometime between the 1880s and 1940s. It grows in dense mats, crowds out native aquatic plants, and severely degrades the recreational boating experience and associated lakefront property values. It is found in the Northwest, Midwest, Pacific Coast, and some areas of the Southeast.

Kudzu

rriscmockup — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 12:41:25 +0000

Kudzu (scientific name: Pueraria montana var. lobata) is an aggressive invasive terrestrial weed from Asia that was introduced into the United States in the 1880s as an ornamental plant and for erosion control. Long a serious problem in the southeast, it is found in the South, Mid-Atlantic states, Midwest, southern New England, and in some parts of West. It covers all vegetation, including trees, in the areas that it invades, creating a dense green carpet that smothers terrestrial ecosystems.

Nutria

rriscmockup — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 12:21:19 +0000

The Nutria (scientific name: Myocastor coypu), which is native to South America, is a very large rodent that was originally imported into Louisiana for the fur trade. Sometimes known as the giant swamp rat, it destroys vegetation and seriously degrades environmentally valuable wetland ecosystems. It has spread along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the Midwest, and is also found in the Pacific Northwest.

Scientists discover Asian carp eggs farther north in Mississippi River than ever before

rriscmockup — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 23:00:08 +0000

Scientists have discovered Asian carp eggs farther north in the Mississippi River than ever before, the U.S. Geological Survey announced yesterday.

The eggs and late-stage embryos came from water samples taken last spring near Lynxville, Wis., about 250 miles north of the area where eggs had previously been recorded. According to researchers, that means the carp spawned upstream of that location. It is unknown whether other eggs hatched and survived last year and whether future spawning events could result in live fish, researchers said.

While the eggs were identified as coming from the bighead carp, researchers don’t know whether they were from bighead or silver carp, the two species of Asian carp that most worry officials. The agency is conducting genetic tests on the eggs, and those results are expected in the coming weeks.

The collection and examination of the eggs are part of an ongoing study on Asian carp spawning habitat. USGS scientists, along with researchers from Western Illinois University, plan to collect more samples along the Mississippi this year, including in more northern areas, given these latest results.

“Invasive Asian carp could pose substantial environmental risks and economic impacts to the Upper Mississippi River if they become established,” Leon Carl, USGS’s Midwestern regional director, said in a statement. “Further research will help us to better understand their habitat requirements and inform integrated control efforts.”

The Asian carp, an invasive species known for its voracious appetite, has been present in the Mississippi River Basin since the 1990s. Officials now worry that the fish may find its way into the Great Lakes Basin, threatening the fisheries in that region.

The Army Corps of Engineers this year released a number of alternatives to keep carp out of the Great Lakes, including the construction of a physical barrier on the Lake Michigan waterfront.

The discovery of the eggs in the northern Mississippi may or may not have implications for the Great Lakes situation, USGS scientists Mark Gaikowski and Brent Knights said. However, it will affect future research. The findings are expected to help both federal and state officials come up with an integrated pest management approach.

Jessica Estepa, E&E reporter
Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2014