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In This Issue
August 29, 2008I pledge to Inspect, Clean and Dry my equipment to the best of my ability after every on-water use. This is the Clean Angling Pledge and individuals around the world are taking the pledge and following these simple actions to insure that they are not accidentally spreading nuisance species. As someone who is a leader in understanding this problem I hope that you are taking these simple actions every time you go out. We need to all realize that besides the aquatic pests that we are all working to avoid there are lots of weeds and other terrestrial organisms that can cause great harm to the environment. Lets all take the Clean Angling Pledge to a new level by incorporating prevention into every aspect of out lives. From the plants we put in our yards to the way we dispose of our trash we can all find ways to avoid spreading invasives. If you have any practical suggestions from your own experiences please send them to us so that we can share them with others. Encourage everyone you know to practice "clean fishing" and ask them all to take the Clean Angling Pledge Anglers gain a new voice in the Invasive Species fight. As invasive species continue to spread across the United States there are increasing government responses designed to protect our economy and environment. The federal response to this problem is directed by the National Invasive Species Council. Jointly Chaired by the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce the Council is primarily composed of Cabinet level members. The work of the Council is significantly shaped by the Invasive Species Advisory Committee, a group of 31 individuals representing a broad range of stakeholders. While announcing the new 5 year federal plan for combating invasives, Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, also announce the new appointments to the Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Included in the new members is Bob Wiltshire, Director of the Center for Aquatic Nuisance Species. Bob has long fought against invasives on behalf of anglers and his strong voice should help to bring the fishing perspective to the important work of this group. More Donate
This newsletter, the Clean
Angling Pledge and all
of our efforts to
prevent the spread of ANS are financed by donations. Please
show your
support by sending us a tax deductible donation of any amount.National Invasive Species Plan Adopted. At an early August meeting of the National Invasive Species Council, Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, announced the adoption of the 2008-2012 National Invasive Species Management Plan. The 2008-2012 Plan replaces the 2001 plan and will focus federal efforts to prevent and control invasive species, which are defined as species that are nonnative or alien to a nation or region and that cause or are likely to cause harm to the economy, environment or human/animal health. The plan is the culmination of an extensive planning process that involved the federal departments and agencies, expert review, and public comment. It can be found on http://www.doi.gov/news/08_News_Releases/2008-2012NationalInvasiveSpeciesManagementPlan.pdf. Washington State and California get tough with boaters. In a concerted effort to protect their waters from destructive species introductions both California and Washington have recently adopted or recommitted to measures designed to reduce the spread of invaders by boats. Washington has been aggressively informing boaters of their legal obligation to keep their boats clean and are alerting them all to the fines they face for violation more In California, there are increasing numbers of boating restrictions and closures being implemented to reduce the threat. One example is on Ruth Lake, a very popular 1,200 acre lake in Northern Ca. Popular with all types of boaters, this lake is now closed to all boats except those from the immediate local area more Both of these examples are typical of the increased restrictions that are being mandated as the impacts of invasive species become more wide spread. It is important that every angler and boater practice voluntary cleaning to help reduce the need for additional government imposed restrictions. The end of felt soles? Authorities in New Zealand are on the brink of adopting new regulations that will ban the use of felt sole on all wading shoes and boots. The invasive algae Didymosphenia geminata (Rock Snot) has impacted many of the most popular trout streams in New Zealand and continues to spread to new waters. Having identified felt soles as a primary source of the spread the national government is preparing to ban the use of felt before the coming fishing season. Will this spread to the US? It is too soon to tell but the fact remains that felt is likely to spread other species and we all need to examine our use of this popular material. more Didymo in the US. Didymosphenia geminata (Didymo or Rock Snot) is not just a problem in New Zealand and is infesting waters across the United States. It seems that each week we are hearing of new discoveries in the Eastern parts of the country and there is a growing sense that we must all come together to work on this important issue. National Public Radio recently did a special report on this problem which you can listen to here One good example of the broad based concern about this problem can be found in an editorial in the The Burlington Free Press where author Matt Crawford writes about his concern that the Didymo problem is not being properly addressed and calls for a much greater effort to control its spread. Read the full editorial here The beach speaks for itself is the title of a 2 part article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This is an excellent report on the serious economic and ecological impacts of invasive species. The information provided is an excellent source of information about this problem and should be a must read for anyone who wants to learn more. Read the article here  The
Clean Angling News is regularly produced by the Center for Aquatic
Nuisance Species. If you have questions,
suggestions or would like to learn
more about ANS please contact us:
Center for Aquatic Nuisance
Species
P.O. Box 1429 Livingston, MT 59047 406-220-2059 info@stopans.org |
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