Invasive Species in the Great Lakes

Invasive Species in theGreat Lakes 11/17/09 John ButtsJon FlikkemaPhilippe Giscard d'EstaingJordan LatoreMatt Veryser

The Great Lakes • Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, & Ontario • Largest group of freshwater lakes in the world • Contains 22% of the world’s fresh surface water • Define the border between the US and Canada • Formed 10,000 yrs ago as the Laurentide ice sheet receded

History • Indigenous peoples long had fished them • Europeans sailed them in 1679 • By 1825 direct they were connected to the Atlantic ocean • By 1848 they were connected to the Mississippi • Since then population and resources exploitation grew

Problem • Over 180 nonindigenous species have been exposed to the Great Lakes Region • Both intentional and unintentional • Pollution in the region • Cross Boundary- United States and Canada

Beginning of Policy • 1905 International Waterways Commission • Created to advise the United States and Canada on levels and flows in the great lakes • 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty • Provided for creation of the International Joint Commission (IJC) • Has the authority to resolve disputes • 1912-1919 studied water pollution and advised for a new treaty

1950-1972 • 1955 Great Lakes Commission Established • 1955 Great Lakes Fishery Commission established • To find a way to control the Lamprey Eel • 1964 IJC begins studies on the eutrophication of the lakes • Phosphorus to blame • 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Resulted • Big Step forward in policy • 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement • 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species • 1987 GWQA Calls for study of ships ballast water • 1990 Nonindigineous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act • Established by the GLC in 1991 • Key Objective calls for “healthy ecosystems where new introductions of nonindigenous aquatic nuisance species are prevented and adverse ecological and economic impacts of species already present are minimized.” • Beginning of large scale regulation

Nuisance Species: Agenda • Lamprey Eel • Plants • Zebra Mussels • Asian Carp

Sea Lamprey • Parasitic • Up to 40in long • Kills 6 out of 7 fish it preys on

More on the Sea Lamprey • Has an odd life cycle. • Spends most of it’s life sedentary • Only parasitic for about a year • Only spawns once

Sea Lamprey cont. • Toothy Mouth • No Jaw • One Lamprey kills up to 40lbs of fish

Extent of the Sea Lamprey • Originally located in the Atlantic Ocean. • Moved to the Great Lakes from canals and waterways

Policy and Action • United States and Canada collaborated • In 1955 created Great Lakes Fisheries Commission • Primary source of lamprey control

Forms of Control • Primary method is using TFM (3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol) • Very effective • Also use of lamprey traps.

Forms of Control cont. • Lamprey barriers and traps • Lamprey can’t jump over barrier • Eliminates breeding spots for the lamprey

Common Reed (Phragmites australis) • Introduced in region around 1800s • Origins from Europe through cargo ships • Rapid growth rate in the wetlands • Causes marshes to dry which can cause wild fires and lack of vegetation

Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea) • Very disruptive to wetlands by rapidly spreading through the plant’s large production of seeds • Mechanical control involves special interest groups removing the grass through digging, bulldozing, or covering the grass with plastic • Applying chemicals which prevent the growth. Glyphosate is a chemical to kill the plant

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) • Brought to the region for medicinal uses and also its beauty • Today, the distribution, growth, and sales of the purple loosestrife are illegal • In 1997, the United States Department of Agriculture chose to employ three kinds of insects which promised to kill-off the plant

Curly Pond Weed (Potamogeton crispis) • Grows underneath the water • Extremely thick and dense which can kill off other species that are vital for the survival of amphibians and other animals in the region • Prevents sunlight from getting to other vegetation underneath

Curly Pond Weed continued… • Use of phytoplankton • Produces algae which can cover the surface of the water preventing sunlight to provide nutrients to the curly pond weed • Adding a dye to the water which also prevents sunlight to enter through the water • Grass carp feed off of the curly pond weed and can consume a good portion of the invasion

First discovered in mid 1980’s • Major cause of Biofouling in the Great Lakes Zebra Mussels

Ecological Impact • Abiotic Factors • Biotic Factors

Economic Impact • Millions of dollars in spending across the US • Majority by Great Lakes bordering states and provinces

Prevention and Research • NOAA • GLERL • 1990 Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Act

Invasive Species: Asian Carp • Dominating fish specie • Species imported by catfish farmers (1970s) to remove algae/suspend matter from ponds • Heavy rainfall (1990s) flooded farming ponds, releasing carp into Mississippi basin • Northward migration  Illinois River  Great Lakes?

INVADERS!

Area of Interest : Asian Carp • Mississippi River • Illinois River – Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal • Lake Michigan http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/invasive/asiancarp/

Asian Carp http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/invasive/asiancarp/

Potential Threat: Asian Carp • Ability to disrupt native habitat and food chain in Great Lakes ecosystem • Harmful to recreational boaters • Jump nearly 10 ft off surface • Fast Reproduction • Large Appetites

Electric Barrier • The Great Lakes Asian Carp Barrier Act • barrier sends pulsating DC current into water • method of distraction • no threat to human activity http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=312

Electric Barrier • Barrier can operate between 1-4 volts/inch capacity • Safety concerns for recreational boaters and barge operators • Possibility of overheating • Backup barrier during times of maintenance http://www.smith-root.com/products/barriers/

Looking Forward • Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species • Meets twice a year • Prohibition on Mollusk • Still disagreement on some initiatives • Zebra Mussels • Federal 2010 Budget allots $475 M for new Environmental Protection Agency-led Great Lakes Restoration initiative

Invasive Species in the Great Lakes