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In This Issue
September 26, 2008The End of Felt? For many years we have used felt sole on our waders to provide better grip in slippery waters. However, it has long been recognized that the felt used in these soles is very hard to clean and dry. A 2006 study at Montana State University showed that invasive species are being transported on waders and New Zealand has determined them to be a primary vector in the spread of didymo. A number of recent announcements makes it seem likely that we will see the elimination of felt in wader manufacturing in the coming years. Here's the latest news: The complete ban of felt soles in New Zealand is now official and beginning with the new fishing season on October 1, 2008 no one will be allow to use felt. New Zealand Felt Ban On Sept. 12, Trout Unlimited issued a call for all manufacturers to eliminate the use of felt by 2011. They note the role felt plays in spreading invasive species and push for its elimination. TU Seeks Elimination of Felt Coming right on the heels of the TU announcement, SIMMS Fishing Products has announced that they will stop selling felt before 2010. In a partnership with Vibram, SIMMS has developed a new sole material that will replace felt in all of their boot models. SIMMS to Eliminate Felt Vibram Announces New Wader Soles The fact that felt seems to be destined to be eliminated has been noticed by the press. Morgan Lyle of the Schenectady, NY Daily Gazette notes that the use of felt is coming to an end and provides his thoughts on wading boots. Felt On The Way Out 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.Lake Tahoe Restricts Boat Access In response to the growing threat that Lake Tahoe could easily be invaded by quagga or zebra mussels that are unintentionally transported by boaters, regulators have issued orders that all boat ramps in the Tahoe area be closed unless there is a qualified inspector on site to provide mandatory boat inspections prior to launch. As these mussels have been identified in a number of waters near Tahoe, agencies, environmentalists and boaters all called for this action to be taken. All recognize that this will cause inconvenience but it vital to protecting the lake. New Tahoe Boat Launch Restrictions This is just another example of a growing trend in the West. We all should expect that in the near future we will be subject to mandatory boat inspections on all types of waters. Destructive Mussels in Utah? In mid September the first report of the possible presence of destructive zebra or quagga mussels in Utah was received. Samples from Pelican Lake and Red Fleet Reservoir in the Uintah Basin and Midview Reservoir on Ute Tribal Lands tested positive for the larval forms of one of these mussels. While these tests are not conclusive, if they prove to be accurate it will be a major blow to the effort to confine the spread of these destructive species. Destructive Mussels in Utah? Aquatic Nuisance Species Presentation In response to many requests, the Center for Aquatic Nuisance Species has posted a file of a presentation from the Center about the issue of Aquatic Nuisance Species. Beginning with an overview of what ANS are this program leads us through the ecological and economic impacts, what is being done and what we as individuals can do. The file is from a PowerPoint presentation but is offered as a pdf file for anyone to download. ANS Overview Presentation Water Chestnut Invades Massachusetts Boston Globe reporter John Dyer has written an excellent article about the spread of the aggressive aquatic plant the Water Chestnut. This noxious invader chokes out native plants and thoroughly clogs waters. It has been reported in about 20 waters in the Boston area and control efforts are proving to be difficult and expensive. Aquatic Weed Invades Boston Never Release Bait! Intentional releases of live bait are a major source of non-native fish introductions and should never be condoned for any reason. Most anglers realize this and take great care to make sure they properly dispose of their bait. However, there are still some who believe that the live release of their bait fish at the end of their trip is proper. The results of these bait releases are usually not obvious until much later when the species has time to reproduce to significant numbers. Authorities have recently discovered introduced Golden Shiners in Oregon's Diamond Lake. Golden Shiners are a common bait fish and it is likely that they were introduced through live bait release. Locals have banded together to create a reward of $10,000 for information of intentional releases and everyone agrees that the lake is poorer for the introduction. Invasive Fish in Oregon's Diamond Lake New Jersey Attacked by Slithering Fish Asian Swamp Eels have been known in Florida and Georgia for some time but these invaders have been found in New Jersey as well. While officials have conducted and aggressive removal effort the ability of these fish to slither across dry land to seek new water makes it possible that they have spread to other ares. The eel can grow to three feet in length and is very hardy, being able to breath both in and out of the water. In a strong editorial the New Jersey Star Ledger has called on the state to aggressively fight this aquatic invader. Stop The Slithering Invader  Show your commitment to protecting our waters by wearing or using our Clean Angler merchandise. We have teamed up with cafepress.com to offer a variety of clothing and accessories that will help you to tell others that you are committed to reducing the spread of ANS. All of the profits from our merchandise will be used to help with our efforts to reduce the spread of the species that are damaging our waters and sport. Check out our complete line of merchandise 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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