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The following article is from an archived newsletter. See our Shared Waters newsletter.

Sand Castles, Boat Rides and Asian Carp? Smart Planning and Rapid Response Take Aim at Aquatic Invaders

Louie Bruni
University of Windsor

By Louie Bruni
IJC intern


 

Sand castles, boat rides and beachcombing are part of the Great Lakes experience. Devastation of the aquatic food web by strange organisms, or getting smacked in the head by a leaping Asian carp, is not.

Those threats are among the reasons a biological SWAT team of Great Lakes experts is preparing a quick-strike response to launch should the invaders ever reach the lakes and connecting waters like the Detroit River.

U.S. and Canadian federal, state and provincial authorities recently met in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to work through a fictional response scenario in the Detroit River. They were brought together by representatives of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who chaired a Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement  workgroup on meeting commitments under Annex 6 of the Agreement, which covers aquatic invasive species.

The table-top exercise was based on a pilot response plan developed by the IJC to respond to, contain, and assess options to eliminate invasive threats like Asian carp. The plan –an emergency measure that responders hope they’ll never use – was funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Many programs to protect and enhance the lakes focus on reducing toxic loadings. These efforts help protect water quality and aquatic habitat. The invasive species threat is just as real. Invaders such as sea lamprey, phragmites and zebra and quagga mussels have already damaged the Great Lakes ecosystem.

The Asian carp could be even worse news. The ugly fish can decimate the base of the food web, but has also captured the public’s imagination with its acrobatic leaps into the air. Some boaters have even been injured in collisions with leaping carp.

A bighead carp, one of several Asian carp varieties. Credit: USGS.A bighead carp, one of several Asian carp varieties. Credit: USGS.

The Great Lakes are at risk when exposed to invasive species because they can damage habitat for native species living in the basin. Food sources are compromised, and some young native species become food for the invaders.

Over the past several decades, the unintended consequences of some human activities created a gateway for invasive species to enter and disrupt the lakes. Preparing a rapid response plan solidifies a commitment by the IJC and its stakeholders to uphold Annex 6 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Other programs are underway to prevent the spread of invasive species. They include a Ballast Water Management Plan, which calls for ocean-going freighters entering the Great Lakes to first flush ballast tanks.

The pilot response plan for aquatic invasive species, called the Binational AIS Rapid Response Plan for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin, was created for the Lake Huron/Lake Erie Corridor. The goal is to provide a template to minimize the likelihood of invasive organisms establishing a foothold in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin.

The development of a binational rapid response plan also includes a jurisdictional analysis to outline the roles and capabilities of 75 agencies that are assigned duties in the event of an emergency. The agencies come from federal, state, provincial and municipal arms of the U.S. and Canadian governments, Native American Tribes, and groups including non-governmental organizations.

The jurisdictional analysis outlines three levels of involvement for agencies in the rapid response plan: primary roles, key supporting roles and secondary supporting roles. Within the category of primary roles are 13 agencies that include groups like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

There are 62 agencies which occupy supporting roles, , including IJC, Health Canada, the U.S. Geological Survey, Ontario Ministry of Environment, Lake Carriers Association, Parks Canada, National Park Service, Council on Environmental Cooperation, and multiple First Nations Reserves.

Five objectives of the rapid response plan include early detection and reporting; rapid risk assessment; decision-making and response protocol; efficient and effective response actions; and continuous assessment and adaptive management. The objectives combine rapid response, precise science and continued monitoring protocols to combat aquatic invasive species. The plan may be the last line of defense when existing policies to combat invasive species fail.    

The governments of the U.S. and Canada have committed to programs to help prevent invasive creatures from overtaking the Great Lakes and the native species that inhabit them. Recently, the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee announced an updated monitoring and response plan to prevent invasive species, especially fish, from entering and destroying the Great Lakes. Electric barriers to stop Asian carp from migrating from the canals near Chicago to the Great Lakes have been installed and improved.

With the addition of rapid response planning, another layer of protection is helping secure the Great Lakes for future generations.

Louie Bruni
University of Windsor

Louie bruni University of Windsor - IJC Intern

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