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New research by NOAA and partners finds that two species of invasive Asian carp -- the bighead carp and silver carp, collectively known as bigheaded carps -- could be capable of establishing populations in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron and affecting the health of ecologically and economically important fish species such as yellow perch. The research, appearing online in the journal Biological Invasions, is based on a new model that simulates interactions between the bigheaded carps and a range of fish species, including walleye, yellow perch, and groups lower on the food web over a time period of 50 years. Over 180 non-indigenous aquatic species have already become established in the Great Lakes, with a handful of these producing substantial negative impacts. While bigheaded carps are established in watersheds near the Great Lakes, they have not yet become established in the Great Lakes.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announced that the longhorned tick, an exotic pest from Asia, has been found for the first time in New England. Working in cooperation with the Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), DEM is asking livestock producers and wildlife rehabilitators to observe animals for the presence of the tick.

Photosynthesis feeds trees and has a significant benefit for people, too, namely the removal of carbon from the atmosphere and into live tree biomass through a process called “sequestration.” But USDA Forest Service scientists and a colleague found that increased tree mortality from the impacts of nonnative insects and diseases results in the transfer of carbon stored in live trees into dead material, much of which will eventually return to the atmosphere by decomposition. This threatens the estimated 76 percent of carbon sequestration in North America that comes from forests.

In 1946 the Argentine Navy imported 10 beaver couples from Canada and set them free in Isla Grande, the deep south of Tierra del Fuego, with the intention of "enriching" the native fauna and the local fur industry. The consequences of such initiative were disastrous: Protected from hunting for 35 years, and devoid of natural predators, the beavers grew over 5,000 times their initial population, caused irreversible changes in the forest ecosystem, and started advancing over the continent. Now, a study published in Chilean Natural History suggests that the demographic explosion of those beavers could be bigger than suspected because it can take years or even decades for local inhabitants to notice the rodents' presence and their impact on the surrounding ecosystems.

ITP is pleased to announce the release of North American Hornet Screening Tool. Hornets in the genus Vespa play a critical role as predators in their native habitats, but in North America these species may have a disastrous impact on agriculture by reducing populations of important pollinators such as the honey bee. Hornets also pose a serious health risk to humans because of their powerful sting. North American Hornet Screening Tool is designed for anyone who may encounter these species in the U.S., including the Asian giant hornet (AGH, V. mandarinia). 

North American Hornet Screening Tool includes fact sheets and an interactive image gallery to support screening for Asian giant hornet and other potentially invasive hornet (Vespa) species. The interactive gallery can be used as a rudimentary key: by choosing one or more of the filters at the top, you can easily narrow down the images to only those that may match your specimen. A more in-depth version of this tool providing specialized information for identifiers on all exotic hornet (Vespa) species, will be released in 2022.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has confirmed the first established presence of the invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) in the state. Initial surveys indicate the known distribution of the pest is within a 5-mile radius in Forsyth County near Interstate 40 in Kernersville extending to the Guilford County line.

Early detection and rapid response are critical in the control of spotted lanternfly and the Plant Industry Division has been preparing to provide the most effective response to slow the spread of this invasive pest in the state. If you see or suspect spotted lanternfly in North Carolina submit a picture through the Spotted Lanternfly Reporting Tool.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has unveiled a new online reporting tool for people to report any sightings of feral swine or their damage to the agency. Feral swine, also called wild boar and feral hogs, are an invasive species that cause significant damage to plant communities and wildlife habitat, prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for limited food and clean water resources and potentially spread diseases that pose substantial risk to livestock, wildlife, humans and pets. Commission biologists, along with other members of the N.C. Feral Swine Task Force, are seeking information from the public to better understand the distribution and abundance of feral swine across the state, and to estimate type and extent of damages they are causing, including damage to agricultural crops, timber, wildlife habitats, landscaping and others.

Reported sightings will help members of the task force determine priority areas where they can focus management efforts. Education and outreach events, technical assistance staff, loaner traps, and other control measures will be focused in areas of greatest need. For more information on feral swine in North Carolina, visit the Commission’s feral swine web page.

Biocontrol is an important management tool that utilizes one species (a biocontrol agent) to control another (a target host) and can be an effective approach for controlling populations of invasive species across broad spatial scales. Climate change, though, is complicating biocontrol, raising concerns that mismatches between how biocontrol agents and their hosts respond to climate change could alter the efficacy of current and future biocontrol programs. In response, a team of RISCC (Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change) Management Network and NE CASC (Climate Adaptation Science Center) researchers has published a new "Management Challenge" that details how climate change impacts the relationship between biocontrol agents and their target hosts and outlines management implications arising from this problem.

The Funding Opportunity for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife QZAP FY2020 has officially been posted. The total funding amount for projects is approximately $1,830,000.00, which is a significant increase from years past. This opportunity will be open for application through October 18, 2020.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York State Canal Corporation today announced a new comprehensive effort, including a new rapid response plan, to combat the potential spread of the round goby, an aquatic invasive species, to the Lake Champlain Basin following the discovery of the fish in the Hudson River near Troy in July 2021. The round goby is one of the biggest threats to New York waters, particularly Lake Champlain, and DEC lists round goby as a prohibited invasive species in the New York Code of Rules and Regulations. Native to Europe and Asia, this fish was introduced in the Great Lakes in 1990, and spread throughout the lakes' system. Round goby reproduces quickly, outcompetes native benthic fish species for food and habitat, eats the young and eggs of other fish, and can transport botulism up the food chain to waterfowl. Working with partners, the agencies will develop a rapid response plan to take effect before the opening of the Canal system on May 20 to identify appropriate actions if round goby enter the Champlain Canal.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York State Canal Corporation continue to implement a comprehensive effort, including a rapid response plan [PDF, 1.73 MB], to combat the potential spread of the round goby, an aquatic invasive species (AIS), to the Lake Champlain Basin following the discovery of the fish in the Hudson River near the city of Troy in July 2021. Aquatic invasive species can out-compete native fish species, disrupting ecosystems and damaging local economies dependent on recreation.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the release of the DEC-sponsored documentary, Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species, via YouTube. DEC's Division of Lands and Forests contracted with the Westfield Production Company to produce this documentary about the significant threat invasive species pose to New York's biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as public health and the State's economy.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced measures to prevent the further spread of aquatic invasive species in the Adirondacks. Changes to state Environmental Conservation Law became effective on June 8, 2022 and require motorized boat users to obtain certification that they have inspected and removed potentially harmful aquatic invasive species before launching in waters in, and immediately adjacent to, the Adirondack Forest Preserve. To learn more, see the New York State Watercraft Inspection Steward Program Handbook.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today encouraged anglers in the Delaware River to be on the lookout for northern snakehead, an invasive fish native to Southeast Asia. A northern snakehead was recently caught in the Callicoon area of the Delaware River. Given the right environmental conditions, this invasive species can prey on and compete with other fish, upsetting the natural balance of local ecosystems. "Northern snakeheads are listed federally as injurious wildlife, and New York State law prohibits their live possession," Commissioner Seggos said. "Any snakehead caught should be killed immediately and not released back into the water." In the event an angler catches a northern snakehead, DEC advises anglers to report the catch to the regional NYS DEC fisheries office, DEC's Invasive Species Bureau at isinfo@dec.ny.gov or (518) 402-9425, or submit a report through iMapinvasives.

Owners of ash trees are faced with some potentially big decisions about how to protect their trees against the destruction of emerald ash borer. Although there is no perfect solution, insecticides are available to protect high-value trees. To help Iowans better understand their options, a group of specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach recently published a guide called "Emerald Ash Borer Management Options." In this four-page resource, the specialists explain how to determine the value of ash trees, the cost of treatment and how to compare the different treatment options available.

A dead spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, has been found in a shipment of planters and ceramic pots sent to Oregon from Pennsylvania. Recently, a nursery in the Corvallis area found the dead female specimen and called the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Insect Pest Prevention and Management Program (1-800-525-0137) to report. The SLF poses a threat to tree fruit and grape production. Grapes used for wine are a high value crop in Oregon, valued at more than $238 million in 2019. This invasive pest also prefers a broad range of more than 70 plant species including apples, cherry, chestnut, hops, maple, peaches, pear, pine, plum, poplar, oak, rose and walnut.

SLF was first found in North America in 2014, in Pennsylvania. It is believed to have arrived on shipments of stone from China. Since then, SLF has been detected in 11 eastern states (Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia). If you believe you have found SLF, please notify the Oregon Department of Agriculture immediately by calling 1-800-525-0137 or email plant-entomologist@oda.state.or.us.

A portion of Los Angeles County has been placed under quarantine for the Oriental Fruit Fly following the detection of 14 flies in the San Fernando Valley in the North Hills area. To prevent the spread of fruit flies through homegrown fruits and vegetables, residents living in the quarantine area are urged not to move those items from their property. However, they may be consumed or processed (i.e., juiced, frozen, cooked, or ground in the garbage disposal) on the property where they were picked or disposed of by double bagging and placing in the regular trash, not green waste. Residents with questions about the project may call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. Additional information may be found here: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/off.

After 12 years of research, a parasitic wasp that controls a highly destructive fruit fly will be released by Oregon State University agricultural scientists in June. Vaughn Walton, Extension entomologist and professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has permitted release of the wasp (Ganaspis brasiliensis), a slow process that took more than 10 years from application to decision. Now that it has a permit, Walton’s lab, which is part of the OSU Agricultural Experiment Station, is raising enough wasps to make a dent in the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) population in Oregon.

Plant Pest and Quarantine executives and trading partners from 13 Pacific Island countries are in Fiji this week to investigate ways to better prevent and control the introduction and spread of plant pests and diseases across country borders. To address such global issues, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) has drafted International Standard Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) which have been reviewed by countries, including the Pacific countries attending the three-day Regional International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Workshop which concluded yesterday.

The Pacific Islands Marine Bioinvasions Alert Network (PacMAN) Project, which aims to monitor and identify marine biological invasive alien species, was officially inaugurated on November 24 in collaboration with the Institute of Applied Sciences at The University of the South Pacific (USP-IAS).

USP-IAS Acting Director, Dr Isoa Korovulavula stated it was a significant occasion as they moved collaboratively to a new "frontier" of protecting the local marine environment from invasive species. "The PacMAN Project is expected to boost local capability for early identification and warning of maritime invasive alien species. We are using revolutionary technology, such as DNA metabarcoding, to identify and deal with marine invasive alien species in our local marine environment," he explained.