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Invasive Species - What's New on NISIC's Site

See What's New on the NISIC's Web site. Includes items of interest that have been added to our site, in order of most recent post date.

View related information:

  • Resource Search - What's New
    Resources can be filtered by Subject, Resource Type, Location, or Source. If you wish to search for species-related resources and use refinements, enter the species name first before selecting the terms.
  • Conference and Events
    To view more details for the "New Events" section (last 5 events added), and for all conferences and events.

Recent News

  • USDA Protects Fruit, Vegetable and Livestock Producers with Emergency Funding to Address Exotic Fruit Fly and New World Screwworm Outbreaks

    • Dec 15, 2023
    • USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

    • USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is using emergency funding to respond to the threats associated with growing outbreaks of exotic fruit flies and New World screwworm. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack approved the transfer of $213.3 million from the Commodity Credit Corporation to APHIS to directly support emergency response efforts domestically and internationally to protect fruit, vegetable and livestock industries and producers.

      "Increasing our response efforts to exotic fruit fly and New World screwworm outbreaks is critical to minimizing their potential impact on our nation’s agriculture and trade," said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. "This funding will enable us to swiftly prevent both populations’ further spread before they become established and harder to eradicate."

    • Post Date
      Dec 18, 2023
  • Study Identifies Florida’s Potential Invasive Species Threats

    • Dec 15, 2023
    • University of Florida. IFAS Extension.

    • In a first-of-its-kind study for North America, scientists accumulated a list of potential invasive species for Florida, and researchers deemed 40 pose the greatest threat. A team of experts, led by University of Florida scientists, evaluated terrestrial, aquatic and marine species with characteristics that make them particularly adept at invasion. Their list includes 460 vertebrates, invertebrates, algae and plants.

      The study, "Identifying invasive species threats, pathways, and impacts to improve biosecurity," was funded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the UF/IFAS Dean for Research. It is published in the journal Ecosphere.

    • Post Date
      Dec 18, 2023
  • Policy Resolution 2024-02, National Forest and Rangeland Management

    • Nov 8, 2023
    • Western Governors' Association.

    • This policy resolution addresses the management of forest and rangelands in coordination with federal agencies and addresses issues including wildland fire, invasive spaces, and collaborative efforts.

      WGA resolutions are in effect for three years and then expire or are renewed. See all current WGA Policy Resolutions.

    • Post Date
      Dec 14, 2023
  • Lionfish Invitational

    • DOC. NOAA. Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

    • NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) is partnering with Lionfish Invitational, and others to use trained divers to help conduct research and remove invasive lionfish within FGBMNS. This multi-day event is a science-based research expedition in which 11 dive teams work to remove as many lionfish as possible, while also recording helpful data on lionfish activity and sightings. In addition, a science team of 8 divers conducts surveys to determine what species, quantities and sizes of fish are present at each designated site before and after the removals. Applications are due Mar 1, 2024. The 2024 expeditions will take place on the following dates:

      • ​June 23-27, 2024
      • August 11-15, 2024
      • September 8-12, 2024
    • Post Date
      Dec 14, 2023
  • Taking on Emerging Animal Diseases at the Source

    • Dec 13, 2023
    • USDA. ARS. Tellus.

    • ARS works with foreign scientists to prevent overseas diseases from spreading to the United States. This collaboration specifically targets research that cannot be conducted in the U.S., either because a disease does not exist here or the expertise in a pathogen resides overseas. Of particular concern are emerging diseases that may spread from animals to infect humans.

    • Post Date
      Dec 13, 2023
  • Flying to the Rescue

    • Dec 12, 2023
    • USDA. ARS. Tellus.

    • ARS vaccine helps to defend rare bird from avian influenza. Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) recently joined other federal agencies to take emergency action to protect one of America’s endangered species, the California condor.

    • Post Date
      Dec 13, 2023
  • Study Finds Plant Nurseries are Exacerbating the Climate-driven Spread of 80% of Invasive Species

    • Dec 5, 2023
    • University of Massachusetts Amherst.

    • Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published a pair of papers that, together, provide the most detailed maps to date of how 144 common invasive plants species will react to 2º C of climate change in the eastern U.S., as well as the role that garden centers currently play in seeding future invasions. Together, the papers, published in Diversity and Distributions and BioScience, and the publicly available maps, which track species at the county level, promise to give invasive species managers in the U.S. the tools they need to proactively coordinate their management efforts and adapt now for tomorrow’s warmer climate.

    • Post Date
      Dec 08, 2023
  • Minnesota and Wisconsin DNRs Partner to Capture 323 Invasive Carp

    • Dec 1, 2023
    • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

    • The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has confirmed the capture of 323 invasive carp on Thursday, Nov. 30 in Pool 6 of the Mississippi River, near Trempealeau, Wisconsin. Species captured were 296 silver carp, 23 grass carp, and 4 bighead carp. This is the largest single capture of invasive carp that has occurred in Minnesota to date. The capture was made possible by tracking tagged invasive carp, which led agency staff and contracted commercial fishers to them for removal.

    • Post Date
      Dec 04, 2023
  • San Diego Area Agencies Responding to Discovery of Invasive Seaweed in San Diego Bay

    • Nov 16, 2023
    • Port of San Diego (California).

    • The Port of San Diego, along with the Southern California Caulerpa Action Team (SCCAT), the City of Coronado, and the Coronado Cays Homeowners Association (CCHOA), are responding to the discovery of an invasive seaweed scientifically known as Caulerpa prolifera in the Coronado Cays area of San Diego Bay.

      In late September, divers found a small patch of Caulerpa prolifera while conducting an in-water pre-construction eelgrass/Caulerpa dive survey as a permit condition for a dock replacement project. Additional patches were discovered nearby during follow-up surveys. The total find within the Cays is about one-quarter of an acre. The SCCAT has prepared a Rapid Response Eradication Plan to address the immediate need to eradicate this invasive species.

    • Post Date
      Nov 26, 2023
  • Army Corps of Engineers: Better Data and Planning Needed to Combat Aquatic Invasive Species

    • Nov 6, 2023
    • United States Government Accountability Office.

    • Quagga and zebra mussels have spread rapidly across the country since they were first discovered in the late 1980s and, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials, have spread to every major river basin in the U.S. except the Columbia River Basin in the northwest. The mussels typically are spread by recreational watercraft such as boats, canoes, and Jet Skis that have been in infested waters. Once established in a water body, the mussel species are extremely difficult to eradicate because they have no natural predators in the U.S. and rapidly reproduce.

      GAO was asked to examine efforts the Corps has undertaken to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species into the Columbia River Basin by recreational watercrafts. This report [PDF, 3.24 MB] provides information on the Corps' Watercraft Inspection and Decontamination Program and its role in helping to prevent the introduction or spread of quagga and zebra mussels—the aquatic invasive species of greatest concern to the Corps—as well as program challenges and opportunities for improvement.

    • Post Date
      Nov 24, 2023