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Cleaning
to Protect the Resource - advice for guides and outfitters
Fly fishing outfitters and guides need to be leaders in
teaching
others to avoid spreading invasives. As professionals, guides are role
models and need to set a good example for others.
Practicing and teaching the basics of Inspect, Clean and Dry should be
part of every guide operation.
Many outfitters, guides, lodges, fly shops
and others who serve visiting anglers ask what more can they
do to reduce the
chance that they are spreading invasives. The Center for Aquatic
Nuisance Species (CANS) has developed a set of actions to consider for
going beyond Inspect, Clean and Dry that can help to reduce the risk.
Some of the possibilities are costly and CANS is not expecting them to
be broadly implemented. However, they provide a good set of
possibilities for consideration. Read
More
Cracking
Down On Invasive Species Violations
Two unique stories this
month show that violators of invasive species laws face many types of
penalties.
The
operator of the only store in the park at Lake Casitas near Ojai, CA
had his
contract canceled for failing to comply with the lake’s
quagga mussel inspection program. He was caught bringing his boat into
the lake without inspection through a side entrance, The reaction
was immediate and harsh. Read More
In Minnesota,
two men lost their commercial bait
licenses after using invasive species infested equipment to capture
minnows for sale. In addition to losing their licenses, the men were
each fined $1,500 and will serve 2 years of probation. Read More
Asian
Carp
Asian carp continue to dominate the aquatic invasive species news in
much of the Mid-West where fear that the carp may invade the Great
Lakes
continues to grow. Every Great Lake state except Illinois wants the
canal closed that could allow the fish entry. This month the US Supreme
Court again refused to order the canal closed. Read More
The effort to expand the market
for Asian carp as human food moved forward on several fronts. A Pearl,
IL company sent a shipment of 40,000 pounds of carp fillets to China in
the first commercial export of the fish. Company officials expressed
confidence that this was just the beginning of the export trade. Read More
In
Chicago, a well known downtown
restaurant is now offering Asian carp served as high cuisine. Chef
Phillip Foss thinks highly of the fish but has decided to rename it to
make it more appealing to his patrons. His answer, “Shanghai Bass".
Read More and Watch Video Here
New
Research on Invasive Brook Trout and Native Cutthroat Trout
In many parts the
western United States exotic brook trout are out competing and
displacing the native cutthroat trout. A new study in the Transactions
of the American Fisheries Society shows that non-native brook trout
obtain greater density, biomass, and annual production than was
previously achieved by the native cutthroat. Read More
State
by State
Texas -
The Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department has launched a new campaign to reduce the
spread of salvinia in the state. This aggressive invader poses a
serious
threat to many popular fisheries.
Read
More
Vermont - Last
month we reported on the Alaska Board of Fisheries action to eliminate
the use of felt in 2012. In Vermont, a legislative effort to ban the
use of felt is moving rapidly towards passage. The VT House has
already approved a bill and the Senate is currently debating their
version.
Read
More
Colorado
- The Colorado Division of Wildlife has
released
information on the 2010 Mandatory Boat Inspection program Read
More
Utah -
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has created an excellent new
web site where boaters can complete the on line Mussel-Aware Boater
Program and receive a Decontamination Certification Form valid through
the end of the calendar year. Read
More
Maine - It's not
just boats that spread invasives and authorities are looking at many
different potential pathways of introduction. The state of Maine has
targeted float planes as a potential problem and now requires them to
have a "Land and River Protection Sticker" to operate in the
state. Read
More
Tennessee
- Didymo is presenting problems on a
number of Tennessee streams. "Below Wilbur Dam, it looks like a brown,
shag carpet covering 95 percent of the bottom" reports one
expert.
Read
More
Idaho
- The first of 18 boat inspection
stations planned for Idaho's
highways during the summer of 2010 is now open. Everyone towing a boat
will be required to stop for a mandatory inspection as they enter the
state.
Read
More
Wyoming
- Things are moving quickly in Wyoming
as the state gears up to implement an aggressive new statewide ANS
program.
Read
More
New
Zebra Mussel Discoveries
Two new zebra mussel discoveries show us that the invasive threat
continues. Indiana and Oklahoma both recently reported new
infestations.
Geist Reservoir is a major water
supply source for Indianapolis, Indiana and the discovery of mussels
there could have a serious impact on the water systems. Read More
Oklahoma has reported three new
mussel infested waters in the past year following the recent discovery
of zebra mussels in Fort Gibson Lake. Read More
Rock
Snot Cure-All? – Not!
The one thing that anglers want
most is a magic bullet spray that they can use to decontaminate
their equipment to kill invasives. Unfortunately, invasives can be
plants, animals or microbes and there is no chemical that will kill all
this bad stuff without killing lots of other things as well. However,
hope is eternal and recently there has been some attention paid to a
product called "Uncle Jacks Didymo Killer" that claims to kill Didymo
on contact. Here is an excellent article that helps to explain why we
should not count on this spray. Read More
Declaring
War on Walleye?
Biologists in Maine are
undertaking an all out effort to eradicate the invasive walleye that
have been illegally introduced into Long and Great Ponds. There is a
long history of walleye being introduced and removed from these waters
and the State is committed to seeing that the invasive fish do not
become established. Read More
Invasive
Species Offer Business-Innovation Insights
Over the past couple of years it
has become obvious that invasive species are becoming a main-stream
topic. However, it seems that we have reached a new level of
recognition. In this article, the author uses the attributes of
invasives to teach lessons to business operators, demonstrating a keen
knowledge of the invasive problem and the application of the knowledge
in a unique way. Read More
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