Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention for Tournaments

1. Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention for Tournaments Great Lakes Sea Grant Network

2. Overview • AIS Overview • Best Management Practices • Equipment to Check • Record Keeping • Inspection Opportunities • Outreach Opportunities • Resources

3. Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) • Degrade ecosystems • Eradication is unfeasible in large lake systems • Hurt the quality of fishing! Non-native, harmful aquatic plants, animals or microscopic organisms that can readily be transported to other waters via popular recreational activities. Spiny Waterflea Round Goby Eurasian Watermilfoil Quagga Mussel

4. Why focus on Tournaments? • Tournament equipment and anglers’ boats can spread AIS to tournament locations. • Tournament anglers travel frequently and quickly between water bodies. • Equipment may spread AIS across large number of water bodies.

5. Our Goals in Collaboration • Provide information and resources • Low impact on tournament operations but high impact results to protect our resources

6. Best Management Practices Overview

7. Tournament Equipment to Check • Tubs • Hoses • Pumps • Scale • Bump tank • Measuring board • Totes • Bags • Nets • Docks • Judge/release boat

8. Angler Equipment to Check • Boat • Anchor systems • Water in bilge, motor, live wells etc. • Trailer • Rollers/Bunks, Axles, Lights/Wires

9. Planning & Record Keeping • Incorporate AIS prevention into your standard procedures • Outreach with tournament mailings, rules meeting and weigh-in • Document your efforts with a checklist • Use resources from Sea Grant

10. BMP – Good • Inspect boats, trailers and all equipment • Remove any vegetation, debris or animals • Drain water from Motor, Bilge, Wells, etc. • Plan and record your efforts

11. BMP – Better • Inspect – Remove – Drain • Cold Rinse boats, trailers and equipment with garden hose • Disinfect with a mild bleach (0.5 oz/quart water) or salt solution (2/3 cup/gallon water) on all equipment

12. BMP- Best • Inspect – Remove – Drain – Decontaminate • High Pressure Rinse with a pressure washer in a wash line for boats/trailer

13. BMP – Exceptional • Inspect – Remove – Drain – Decontaminate • Hot Pressure Rinse with pressure washer with water above 140° F in a wash line for boats/trailers.

14. Watercraft Washing/Decontamination Tips • Inspect and remove vegetation or mud and debris first • A 90 second wash is effective at removing ZM larvae and other microscopic organisms • Keep nozzle at a 90 degree angle to the boat and at least 12 inches away from the boat to prevent removing decals • If setting up a wash station, site selection is important • Convenient but does not cause delays • Drainage • 2 simultaneous sprayers can cut time to 45 seconds total.

15. Opportunities for Inspection (When) • Pre-fishing • Pre-launch • Weigh-in

16. Opportunities for Inspection (Who) • Examples: Local fishing clubs , Scout troops or 4-H • Benefits: service hours for clubs, potential club fundraising and increasing community involvement in tournaments

17. Opportunities for Outreach • Materials with registration packet • Rules meeting • Display during weigh-in or at sponsor expo

18. Resources & Contact Info • Tournament AIS Record Sheet • BMP Handbook • Field Guide: Invaders of the Great Lakes • Websites Sea Grant: www.uvm.edu/seagrant/ Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers: www.protectyourwaters.net Clean Boats Clean Waters: www4.uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/cbcw/

19. AIS Management and Climate Change: Preparedness? Mark Malchoff, LCSG Hilary Smith, APIPP

20. AIS Management and CC • Longer growing / boating season • increase demand for prevention and management (resource drain on stewards) • Erratic swings in highs/lows temps • unknown impact on population viability (boom and bust years) • Erratic weather patterns • may contribute to species spread (flooding) / may also limit survey and management ability due to inclement weather

21. AIS Management and CC cont’d • Unexpected invaders • (may be focused on different species than may arrive and survive) • Survivability of invaders • Hybridization of non-natives and invasives • Changes in efficacy of management • Shorten/lengthen E. milfoil hand/suction harvest season • Exacerbate knowledge gaps • Longer/different list of organisms with unknown life history patterns

22. Programs/initiatives in place in NY to help mitigate AIS invasions (also important in a changing climate) • Collaboration and communication network among partners through the APIPP PRISM • provides a system to discuss current status, identify needs and next steps, and take action. •  Efforts to increase prevention / interdiction of AIS: • Invasive species regulation (e.g. 6 NYCRR Part 575 Prohibited and Regulated Invasive Species) • state boat launch regulations to prevent transport of AIS • baitfish regulations • expansion of boat launch steward programs • consideration of placement of inspect. and decontam. programs • enhanced educational programs to increase awareness of the issues and how to get involved

23. Additional Programs/initiatives… •  Early detection surveillance and monitoring for AIS • through the APIPP PRISM partner network • (mostly aquatic plants but increasing efforts for small-bodied organisms) ; • eDNA sampling through Paul Smith’s College • AIS Reporting, Mapping and Tracking through iMap invasives online statewide database • Formalizing response protocols,  building capacity through partners and an aquatic response team and leveraging resourcing for emergency response situations • Identifying research needs and sharing with the NY Invasive Species Research Institute

26. Effects of Altered Thermal Regimes • Altered pathways of species introductions (previous slide) • Changes in Likelihood That Non-Native Species Will Become Established Rahel and Olden, 2008

27. Mediation of the Impact of Non-Native Species Figure 3. Effects of water temperature on the number of items eaten by brook trout and brown trout in a laboratory competition experiment (from data in Taniguchi et al. [1998]). Rahel and Olden, 2008

28. Changes in Control Strategies and Their Initiation • Managers may need new/different strategies to deal with species that were historically not problematic Rahel and Olden, 2008

29. Effects of Reduced Ice Cover • Same list as just reviewed, but different examples Rahel and Olden, 2008

30. Effects of Altered Streamflow Regimes • Same list as just reviewed, but different examples Rahel and Olden, 2008

31. Effects of Increased Water Development Activities • Same list as just reviewed, but different examples Rahel and Olden, 2008

32. Conclusions • CC may force a redefinition of term invasive species • SMB moving to sub-arctic • Fish in drainage colonizing previously fishless lakes formerly winter anoxic, with resulting impacts to amphibians • CC will alter abiotic filters • CC yet to generate phenological shifts in freshwater organisms, unlike terrestrial and marine species • Lots of uncertainty in CC scenarios: inadequate knowledge of role of temperature, flow regime, etc. • Shifts in water development policies could be detrimental to native biodiversity – open the door to invaders (more/new reservoirs) • Need to rethink intentional fish introductions when thermal regime/habitat will be changing Rahel and Olden, 2008