AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES
By BERNIE KUNTZ, FWP Region 3 Information Officer
They are called "aquatic nuisance species" or ANS--non-native plants or animals that take over lakes and rivers, damage ecosystems, and reduce the recreational and commercial use of waters.
These species came to North American from other continents, sometimes in the ballast water of ships, and once here, they spread by way of recreational boats, wading boots, and the aquarium and gardening trade. With no natural predators, ANS often spread quickly and out-compete native species.
The biggest threats to Montana are the:
* zebra mussel, now causing millions of dollars of damage each year in other states;
* New Zealand mud snail, which blankets river beds and threatens trout fisheries; and
* Eurasian watermilfoil, whose thick vegetation mats cover shallow bays and lakes and hamper boating and swimming.
Zebra mussels were first discovered in the Great Lakes in the 1980s, having been inadvertently introduced through ballast water released there by ships returning from Europe. The aggressive mussel reduces food and oxygen for native species and completely covers native mussels, clams and snails. They are a particular threat to industry, clogging water intake pipes, coating the hulls and engines of boats, and disrupting water purification and electrical plants.
The Eurasian watermilfoil, an aquatic plant, spreads rapidly and clogs swimming and boating areas. The species is now just a few miles from Montana, in Idaho's Heyburn Lake. In one year, a single stem fragment from watermilfoil can multiply into 250 million new plants.
Already damaging Montana waters is the New Zealand mudsnail, found in the Madison River in 1995. The mudsnail was discovered in Yellowstone National Park the previous year, and has since been found in the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers in Montana.
Like weeds in a garden, New Zealand mudsnails take over a river bottom, replacing mayfly nymphs, caddis pupa, and other native river invertebrates.
Another ANS that is well-established in many Montana waters is the invasive microscopic parasite responsible for whirling disease. The parasite primarily infects small rainbow trout soon after they hatch in the river, and consumes cartilage, causing severe deformations in the head and back bone.
A new state management plan emphasizes the importance of preventing species from reaching Montana in the first place. Written by a group representing anglers, industry, landowners, agencies, and other interests, the plan will help FWP and other state and federal agencies lessen the damage of nuisance species. Having a plan in place also qualifies Montana for federal grants.
Tim Gallagher, FWP fisheries resource manager, leads FWP's ANS program. Gallagher says the state's top concern is to keep new species out of Montana. "Once they get into the state, they're pretty much impossible to eliminate," he says. "We want to do all we can to keep these invaders out of Montana and we need everyone's help."
To learn more about Montana's aquatic nuisance plan go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service web site at www.anstaskforce.gov, click on State/Interstate ANS Management Plans and then on Montana State ANS.
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By BERNIE KUNTZ, FWP Region 3 Information Officer
They are called "aquatic nuisance species" or ANS--non-native plants or animals that take over lakes and rivers, damage ecosystems, and reduce the recreational and commercial use of waters.
These species came to North American from other continents, sometimes in the ballast water of ships, and once here, they spread by way of recreational boats, wading boots, and the aquarium and gardening trade. With no natural predators, ANS often spread quickly and out-compete native species.
The biggest threats to Montana are the:
* zebra mussel, now causing millions of dollars of damage each year in other states;
* New Zealand mud snail, which blankets river beds and threatens trout fisheries; and
* Eurasian watermilfoil, whose thick vegetation mats cover shallow bays and lakes and hamper boating and swimming.
Zebra mussels were first discovered in the Great Lakes in the 1980s, having been inadvertently introduced through ballast water released there by ships returning from Europe. The aggressive mussel reduces food and oxygen for native species and completely covers native mussels, clams and snails. They are a particular threat to industry, clogging water intake pipes, coating the hulls and engines of boats, and disrupting water purification and electrical plants.
The Eurasian watermilfoil, an aquatic plant, spreads rapidly and clogs swimming and boating areas. The species is now just a few miles from Montana, in Idaho's Heyburn Lake. In one year, a single stem fragment from watermilfoil can multiply into 250 million new plants.
Already damaging Montana waters is the New Zealand mudsnail, found in the Madison River in 1995. The mudsnail was discovered in Yellowstone National Park the previous year, and has since been found in the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers in Montana.
Like weeds in a garden, New Zealand mudsnails take over a river bottom, replacing mayfly nymphs, caddis pupa, and other native river invertebrates.
Another ANS that is well-established in many Montana waters is the invasive microscopic parasite responsible for whirling disease. The parasite primarily infects small rainbow trout soon after they hatch in the river, and consumes cartilage, causing severe deformations in the head and back bone.
A new state management plan emphasizes the importance of preventing species from reaching Montana in the first place. Written by a group representing anglers, industry, landowners, agencies, and other interests, the plan will help FWP and other state and federal agencies lessen the damage of nuisance species. Having a plan in place also qualifies Montana for federal grants.
Tim Gallagher, FWP fisheries resource manager, leads FWP's ANS program. Gallagher says the state's top concern is to keep new species out of Montana. "Once they get into the state, they're pretty much impossible to eliminate," he says. "We want to do all we can to keep these invaders out of Montana and we need everyone's help."
To learn more about Montana's aquatic nuisance plan go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service web site at www.anstaskforce.gov, click on State/Interstate ANS Management Plans and then on Montana State ANS.
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