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The Lionfish Challenge is a free summer-long (May 24-September 2, 2024) lionfish tournament open to recreational and commercial competitors of all ages around the state of Florida. Our goal remains the same — remove as many lionfish as we can in just four months. Are you up for the Challenge? See also:

• FWC Announces 2024 Lionfish Challenge Presented by Zookeeper (May 23, 2024)
• Lionfish Tournaments and Events
• FWC Unveils 2023 Lionfish Challenge King and Commercial Champion, Celebrating a Record-breaking Year (Oct 19, 2023)

In early December Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police received information that a Seattle market was selling live “green crabs”. The Seattle seller had bought the live green crabs from a seller in Massachusetts with the intention of selling them for crab stock and soup. The crabs were destroyed by WDFW Police officers.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is excited to announce the 7th annual Lionfish Removal and Awareness Festival May 15 and 16 at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar and HarborWalk Village in Destin. Come out and celebrate the fight against invasive lionfish with the FWC and Destin–Fort Walton Beach. Activities will include fillet demonstrations; family-friendly games and activities; art, diving and conservation booths; and the world’s largest lionfish spearfishing tournament, the Emerald Coast Open. Learn more by visiting FWCReefRangers.com. The 2021 Lionfish Challenge removal incentive program will begin May 21 and continue through Labor Day, Sept. 6. More details on how to get rewarded for your harvest coming soon to FWCReefRangers.com.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture expanded its spotted lanternfly quarantine to include a total of 17 counties and the city of Baltimore. The quarantine is effective immediately, and restricts the movement of regulated materials that might contain the spotted lanternfly in any of its life stages, including egg masses, nymphs, and adults. 

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has taken a significant step in its ongoing efforts to control the invasive spotted lanternfly. The department has announced the expansion of its spotted lanternfly quarantine zone to include two new counties – Charles and Garrett – effective immediately. This quarantine restricts the movement of regulated articles that might contain the spotted lanternfly in any of its life stages, including egg masses, nymphs, and adults.

Governor Wes Moore is calling on the federal government to declare the expanding population of invasive fish species—including blue catfish, flathead catfish, and snakehead—to be an ongoing commercial fishery disaster in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The governor sent a letter [Mar 2023; PDF, 2.4 MB] to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo requesting the declaration under provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act. The declaration would qualify Maryland for federal fishery disaster assistance.

The short story of invasive fishes in Maryland.
See also: Report an aquatic invasive using Maryland Invasive Species Tracker (MIST); tool for the public to help the state track invasive species in its waterways.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) today announced that it has identified two dead specimens of the spotted lanternfly (SLF) in Massachusetts communities, and is urging residents to report any sign of the invasive pest. The specimens were recovered in the towns of Milford and Norwood, and were brought into Massachusetts on materials shipped from Pennsylvania counties currently under a spotted lanternfly quarantine. Additionally, MDAR was recently notified that nursery stock with spotted lanternfly egg masses and adults may have been unintentionally imported and planted in several parts of Massachusetts.

MDAR is urging anyone who has received goods or materials, such as plants, landscaping materials, or outdoor furniture, from a state with a known SLF infestation to carefully check the materials, including any packaging, for signs of spotted lanternfly. Currently, there are known introductions of SLF in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. If any indication of SLF is found, residents should take a photo or collect the specimen, and report any potential sightings of the pest using MDAR’s online reporting form. Residents should look for large, gray insects, about one inch long, with black spots and red underwings, or inch-long, rectangular yellowish-brown egg masses covered with a gray waxy coating.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is proposing an Exterior Firewood Quarantine [PDF, 192 KB] to prevent the introduction of unwanted plant pests and diseases into Michigan. Public comments on the proposal were due on November 19, 2021. Over 140 pests and diseases can be moved by firewood, including Asian long-horned beetle, mountain pine beetle and spotted lanternfly. These pests are not known to exist in Michigan but could be accidentally brought into the state by travelers transporting firewood. Additional information is available at Michigan Invasive Species Program.

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) fisheries biologists say that the Show-Me-State has another aquatic invader to be on the watch for. It's already been detected in the Mississippi River near St. Louis—and anglers might be the first line of defense. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is native to the Black and Caspian Seas between Europe and Asia and was brought to the U.S. by way of the Great Lakes in cargo ship ballast. Since then, the invasive fish has made its way down the Illinois River and has been confirmed just across the Mississippi at Alton, Illinois. MDC encourages anglers to take photos and email MDC with details if they encounter any round gobies. Anglers should report the sighting and email photos to MDCgoby@mdc.mo.gov.

A portion of Los Angeles County has been placed under quarantine for the Mediterranean fruit fly following the detection of two wild flies in the Leimert Park neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles. The USDA, the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner, and California Department of Agriculture are working collaboratively on this project.

Under International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) standards, Ceratitis capitata  is a transient pest under eradication that is present only in one area in California.  This species is not widely distributed and is under official control in the U.S.

A portion of San Diego County has been placed under quarantine for the Mexican fruit fly following the detection of six flies and one larva in and around the unincorporated area of Valley Center. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are working collaboratively on this project.

The Mexican fruit fly can lay its eggs in and infest more than 50 types of fruits and vegetables, severely impacting California agricultural exports and backyard gardens alike. For more information on the pest, please see the pest profile at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/MexFly. Residents who believe their fruits and vegetables may be infested with fruit fly larvae are encouraged to call the state’s toll-free Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.

The governors of Illinois and Michigan today agreed to work jointly to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp species. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Gov. JB Pritzker today announced an intergovernmental agreement between the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) which allows Illinois to use up to $8 million in funds appropriated in 2018 by the Michigan Legislature to support the pre-construction engineering and design (PED) phase of the Brandon Road Ecosystem Project. Further strengthening the path forward, the State of Illinois also signed a separate PED agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the initial Brandon Road design. The state will serve as the non-federal sponsor, agreeing to help fund design of a portion of the project and to further advance full project design efforts to approximately 30 percent completion.

The Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the Chicago Area Waterway System near Joliet, Illinois, is a critical pinch point for keeping bighead, silver and black carp – the invasive Asian carp species of greatest concern – out of the Great Lakes. The Brandon Road project would install layered technologies including an electric barrier, underwater sound, an air bubble curtain and a flushing lock in a newly engineered channel designed to prevent invasive carp movement while allowing barge passage.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified 13 high-risk invasive aquatic plants, fish and invertebrates as prohibited invasive species. The DNR classifies invasive species as prohibited to prevent their introduction and spread in Minnesota and to protect the state’s environment, economy, natural resources and outdoor recreation. It is unlawful to possess, import, purchase, transport or introduce prohibited invasive species, except under a DNR-issued permit for disposal, decontamination, control, research or education.

The prohibition on 12 of the 13 species is effective immediately, with publication of the new listings in today’s State Register. Jumping worms will be prohibited invasive species effective July 1, 2024, to provide additional time for outreach to businesses and others who may be impacted by the rule change. A complete list is available on the DNR invasive species laws website.

The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) has issued an emergency quarantine order to protect against the introduction and spread of the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive wood-boring beetle that has already killed millions of ash trees in North America. The order was motivated by the removal of federal domestic quarantine regulations by the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). "It is important that we remain vigilant and do everything in our power to make sure that the emerald ash borer doesn’t find a way into Montana," said MDA Director Mike Foster. "This quarantine order protects the green ash woodland resources in eastern Montana that provide habitat for many wildlife species as well as economic benefits to livestock producers and rural communities."

Montana’s emergency quarantine order restricts EAB from entering the state in any form, as well as the movement of live ash trees, parts of ash trees capable of harboring live EAB, and any other articles determined potentially hazardous. MDA will accept public comment regarding the quarantine order until February 26, 2021.

Wildlife officials are warning Georgia boat owners to be on the lookout for an invasive species that could cause millions of dollars in damages throughout the state. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources says zebra mussels, an eastern European species that is considered invasive, were found on a boat taken to Lake Lanier after being used on the Tennessee River near Chattanooga.

On Sunday, June 27, watercraft inspection stations in eastern Montana intercepted two boats entering the state carrying invasive mussels, making it the 35th and 36th mussel-fouled boats intercepted this year. This surpasses the total number of 35 mussel-fouled boats intercepted in 2020.

Fish, Wildlife & Park staff reminds anyone transporting motorized or nonmotorized boats into Montana that an inspection is required before launching, and stopping at ALL open watercraft inspection stations is required. Failing to stop at an inspection station can result in a fine of up to $500. Many residents of western states, including Montana, are buying boats out of the Midwest or southwestern U.S., where invasive mussels are common. The record number of interceptions is a reminder for people purchasing boats from other states to clean, drain and dry the vessel.

Montana’s first mussel-fouled watercraft of the year was intercepted at the Anaconda watercraft inspection station on March 10.

All watercraft entering the state of Montana with the intent of being launched into any body of water are required to be inspected, including kayaks, canoes, rafts and paddleboards. These inspections are required by law, and failure to comply may result in a fine of up to $500. Learn more how Protect Montana Waters from Aquatic Invasive Species.

If your leisure-time plans include boating or fishing in Michigan, recent changes in Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) may affect you. Beginning March 21, watercraft users in the state are required to take steps to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Also, anyone fishing with live or cut bait or practicing catch-and-release fishing will need to take precautions to limit the movement of invasive species and fish diseases.

The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) has initiated a new social media campaign to raise awareness of the dangers cogongrass poses to the state. With agriculture and natural ecosystems at risk, ADAI is calling on Alabamians to recognize this threat and share the information.

Cogongrass has now infested more than 75 percent of Alabama's counties. This federally regulated noxious weed was introduced in the U.S. in 1911 as packing material in the port of Mobile. In the decades since, it has greatly expanded and become more dangerous. Visit www.alcogongrass.com to learn how to spot cogongrass and report it when it blooms again in the spring.