AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES waterassociated organisms

1
AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES(water-associated
organisms)

• Non-native (exotic)
• Uncontrollable
• Ecologic Economic Harm

2
UTAHS AIS

• PATHOGENS
• Whirling Disease
• Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia

• FUNGUS ALGAE
• Chytrid
• Didymo

3
UTAHS AIS

• MOLLUSKS
• New Zealand Mud Snail
• Red-rimmed Melania
• Asian Clam
• Non-native Crayfish
• Dreissena Mussels
• Quagga
• Zebra
• Conrads False

• PLANTS
• Phragmites
• Tamarisk
• Purple Loosestrife
• Eurasian Water Milfoil
• Curly Pond Weed

4
UTAHS AIS

• FISH
• Mosquito Fish
• Burbot
• Gizzard Shad
• Other non-native fish

• AMPHIBIANS
• Bullfrog
• Green Frog
• Plains Leopard Frog
• Rio Grande Leopard Frog

5
UTAHS AIS

• REPTILES
• Red-eared Slider
• New Mexico Whiptail

• OTHER
• Discarded Aquarium Fauna or Flora
• (e.g. gold fish)
• Aqua-scaping
• Bait Releases
• Private Aquaculture

6
Utahs AIS Task Force

• Prepare a Mgmt Plan
• UDWR (chair)
• DNR (SPR, Water Resources)
• UT Dept Ag
• DEQ
• USFWS
• USFS
• BLM
• NPS
• BOR
• URMCC
• Water Conservancy Districts
• UT Angler Assoc.
• Industry Water Users

• UDWRs Team
• Aquatic Coordinator
• Outreach Coordinator
• 5 AIS Biologists
• 22 Wildlife Technicians
• 5 Conservation Officers
• 1.64 Million/yr

7
Dreissena Mussel ExampleQuagga, Zebra
Conrads FalseA Threat To Utah forever keep
them out or forever live with them

• Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

8
Dreissena Spread Rapidly

• Native to Russia--spread throughout Europe
• Arrived St. Lawrence Seaway mid 1980s
• Spread Great Lakes, Canada U.S.
• Mississippi River Basin to New Orleans
• East Mid West US (100th Meridian)
• January 2007 Arrived Western U.S.
• Lower Colorado River
• Mead (NV)
• Mohave (AZ)
• Havasu (CA)
• Lake Powell, August 07

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Map
10
Understanding Dreissena Mussels

• Invasive, non-native
• Quagga, Zebra Conrads False
• Species much alike (two-shelled like a clam)
• Sexual Reproduction via Spawning (3 mm)
• 1,000,000 veligers per year
• Colonies can be 12 deep
• Quagga are a greater problem
• colder, deeper soft substrates
• Quagga displaces Zebra
• Adult Zebra 12 mm Quagga 20 mm
• Larvae Veligers microscopic to sand grain
  sized

11
DREISSENA ECONOMIC IMPACTSMaintenance
Perspective

• Typical Maintenance Expenditures in the East
• 51 electric generation (steam hydro)
• 31 water treatment
• 18 industrial other water users
• East maintenance _at_ 100 million/year
• West maintenance _at_ 10 million/year
• Utah estimated to exceed 15 million/year
• 3.2 million--electric generation (steam
  hydro)63 plants)
• 7.2 million--water treatment30 plants
• 4.4 millionindustrial other water users
• ?? million--pipelines (1,120 miles) canals
  (4,573 miles)

12
DREISSENA ECONOMIC IMPACTSRecreational
Expenditure Perspective

• Nationally anglers expend 40 billion annually
• Utah anglers expend 708 million annually
• Reduced angler participation may occur
• Decreased fish condition (length weight)
• Fish die offs due to blue-green algae blooms
• Species change to less desirable species
• Deteriorated recreational satisfaction
• Odor
• Sharp shells
• Risk to equipment (overheat engines)

13
Dreissena Environmental Impacts

• They Are Filter Feeders
• Remove plankton, removing fish food
• Filter volume of Lake Erie in 36 hours!!
• Feces Cause High Coliform Counts
• Pseudo Feces Rots
• Smell
• Oxygen depletion
• Blue-green algae, which releases toxin
• Stimulate Avian Botulism

14
When Fish Chow Disappears

• Utahs Waters
• Plankton decrease Likely
• Species change Likely
• Decreased K (length weight) Likely
• Loss of native mollusks Likely

• Lake Michigan
  Lake Trout
  declined 95 in 10 years--WHY?

15
How Mussels Move

• Veligers Drift Downstream
• Trailered Boats
• Infested to non-infested waters
• Failure to Drain bilge
• Failure to Drain live wells
• Failure to Dry (5 days in UT)
• Failure to Remove plants or animals
• Failure to Wash w/HOT water

• RISKS
• Large commercial boats
• (huge risk)
• Owner-pulled boats (less
  risk)

16
Dreissena Became A Western U.S. Problem

• January 2007 Quagga
• Lower Colorado River
• Lake Mead
• Lake Mohave
• Lake Havasu
• Colorado River
• NV Fish Hatchery
• CA Reservoir (Copper Basin)

17
Dreissena Now a Utah Problem

• Top 20 destinations of Lake Mead boaters
• 3 Lake Powell
• 11 Pineview Reservoir
• 12 Bear Lake
• 14 Willard Bay
• 19 Jordanelle Reservoir

• August 2007 veligers detected in Lake Powell
• 29 of Utahs Boaters Use Lake Powell
• Where Do Lake Powell Boaters Go In Utah ?
• EVERY WHERE

18
IMPACTS Industrial Plants

• Lots of Industries in Utah Use Water
• Constricted water intakes
• Constricted water circulation systems
• Increased
• biologic load
• corrosion
• plant operation costs

19
IMPACTS Pipelines

• Over 1,120 miles of pipelines in Utah
• Greatly reduced flow capacity
• Its not just on the outside its inside, too
• 2ND Water Systems plugged--pipes sprinklers
• Increased maintenance cost ????

20
IMPACTS Canals

• Over 4,573 miles of canals in Utah
• Open-channel flow capacity reduced
• Earth-lined 24 less flow
• Concrete-lined 52 less flow
• Increased maintenance cost ????

21
IMPACTS Reservoirs

• 150 reservoirs _at_100 ac (Storage Recreation)
• Seasonal Water Level Changes routine
• Die Offs (fish waterfowl)
• Deteriorated water quality odor
• Difficult beach use clean up
• Increased maintenance cost ????

22
HOW DO WE DEAL WITH DREISSENASuccessful Mussel
Prevention Example

• Minnesota Land of 10,000 Lakes
• 20 years exposure commercial recreation
  vessels
• 4 lakes Mississippi River infested
• Effective Aquatic Nuisance Species Plan
• Emphasis on public education awareness
• 12 full-time employees
• 45 summer watercraft inspectors
• Illegal drive w/any mussel
• 2.3 million annual budget

23
Emergency Responses in Utah NPS

• NPS Initiated Self-Certification at Lake Powell
• Education Outreach
• Media Coverage
• Zap the Zebra brochures
• Entry warning signs
• Self-certification
• Interdictions
• Decontamination
• Containment ????
• Monitoring Research
• Training (UDWR SPR and others)

24
Emergency Response in Utah UDWR

• DNR Policy Prevent Invasion of Dreissena Mussel
• UDWR Lead State Agency
• Inter-state Interagency Coordination
• Quagga Education Implementation Plan
• Education Outreach
• Statewide Media Coverage
• Statewide 250,000 Zap the Zebra brochures
• (Included all 65,000 UT Boat Owners)
• Statewide 1,500 boat launch signs
• Statewide 4,500 posters
• Statewide sportsmen/agency lectures
• Interdiction
• Decontamination of Equipment
• Containment ????
• Monitoring Research
• Training (UDWR SPR and Others)

25
Utahs AIS Future

• I. Maintain Sufficient Budget
• FY08 1,106,500
• FY09 1,640,000
• II. Secure Legislation for an Interdiction Act
• III. Write AIS Management Plan
• IV. Be Vigilant
• ....
• Memmorandum
• From UDWR
• To Aquatic Invasive Species
• Subject Watch Out, Were Coming!