Parks Canada.

On Dec 4, 2021, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, announced federal investments of $14.7 million over the next five years for conservation projects to prevent and manage aquatic invasive species in Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Waterton Lakes and Yoho national parks.

The mountain national parks are particularly vulnerable to aquatic invasive species due to the high amount of water recreationists who visit each year. Aquatic invasive species alter aquatic ecosystems, cause irreversible damage, impact vulnerable species at risk, and spread downstream beyond park boundaries through the interconnected river systems. Of particular concern for the mountain national parks are invasive mussels, which deplete available nutrients and in turn affects the entire food web by altering water chemistry and quality, as well as the parasite that causes whirling disease, which leads to skeletal deformities for native species. This investment will help address major threats to aquatic ecosystems by funding programs to prevent and educate against the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The New Zealand mud snail (NZMS) has been rapidly expanding its range throughout the Great Lakes Region with most recent discoveries occurring in Michigan and Wisconsin. The impacts of this invasion on native ecosystems and their communities in the Great Lakes region are currently unknown, serving as cause for region-wide concern. The formation of the Great Lakes New Zealand Mud Snail Collaborative is a regional approach for New Zealand mud snail management, research, outreach, and education. The formation of the Great Lakes New Zealand Mud Snail Collaborative is a regional approach for New Zealand mud snail management, research, outreach, and education.

DOC. NOAA. Fisheries.

The green crab is an invasive marine species spreading throughout the coastal waters of the United States. Efforts between NOAA Fisheries and Metlakatla Indian Community have been leading the way on monitoring to detect this species’ presence in Alaskan waters. The green crab has been found in U.S. waters since the 1800s, but this is the first confirmed presence in Alaska. They are a serious threat for Alaska’s tidal habitats.

If you see an invasive green crab on Annette Islands Reserve, call (907) 886-FISH to make a report. If you encounter a potential green crab elsewhere in Alaska, take photographs from multiple angles and send them to Tammy Davis. Then submit a report to the Alaska Invasive Species Reporter, or call the Invasive Species Hotline: (877) INVASIV.

Washington Sea Grant.

TexasInvasives.org.

Zebra mussels are a small, destructive invasive species that can spread across Texas by hitching a ride on boats and trailers. Zebra mussels can cause tremendous environmental and economic damage - hurting aquatic life, damaging your boat, hindering water recreation and even threatening your water supply. In the state's ongoing effort to combat the spread of invasive zebra mussels, new rules effective July 1, 2014 require that all boats operating on public fresh water anywhere in Texas be drained after use.

DOI. United States Geological Survey.

Invasive zebra and quagga mussels are an immediate threat to Western states. With no controls, they spread rapidly, foul boats and equipment, clog water intake, and increase costs to hydropower operations and municipal water utilities. Even dead mussels can be a nuisance, littering beaches with shells. Management of these invaders is expensive; in the Great Lakes, managing mussels costs about $500 million annually. Until 2007, the mussels were limited to waterways and lakes east of the Mississippi, but now they have spread westward. In 2016, quagga mussels were found in Lake Powell.

Unfortunately, there are no foolproof existing technologies or treatments to eradicate established mussel populations in large, open water systems in an environmentally sound manner. Early warning, however, helps us prepare before the mussels or other invasive species arrive.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Michigan.gov. Michigan Invasive Species Program.

Michigan.gov. Michigan Invasive Species Program.

Michigan.gov. Michigan Invasive Species Program.

Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.

DOI. FWS. Fish and Aquatic Conservation.

Includes species listed as injurious wildlife under the Federal Lacey Act (18 USC 42), which makes it illegal to import injurious wildlife into the U.S. or transport between the listed jurisdictions in the shipment clause (the continental U.S., the District of Columbia, Hawaii, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any possession of the U.S.) without a permit. An injurious wildlife listing would not prohibit intrastate transport or possession of that species within a State where those activities are not prohibited by the State. Preventing the introduction of new harmful species is the only way to fully avoid impacts of injurious species on local, regional, and national economies and infrastructure, and on the natural resources of the U.S.

Injurious wildlife are wild mammals, wild birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, crustaceans, mollusks and their offspring or eggs that are injurious to the interests of human beings, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, wildlife or wildlife resources of the U.S. Plants and organisms other than those stated above cannot be listed as injurious wildlife. For more information, see What Are Injurious Wildlife: A Summary of the Injurious Provisions of the Lacey Act and Summary of Species Currently Listed as Injurious Wildlife.

Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.

Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.

Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.

Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.

Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).

Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).