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

Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) detected two Japanese beetles near Grandview and one near Sunnyside in 2021. Additionally, a resident reported numerous Japanese beetles devouring her roses in Grandview that summer.

Japanese beetles would pose a serious threat to farms, gardens, and the environment if they were to become established in Washington State. Please report any suspected sightings of Japanese beetle at PestProgram@agr.wa.gov or 1-800-443-6684. See WSDA's Interactive Japanese Beetle Response Map.

The spread of plant diseases and pests is on the rise due to a changing climate. Plants are humans’ best friends and main allies in life on earth. Plants are responsible for 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe and make up 80 percent of our daily calorie intake. However, we often take them for granted, not realizing the importance of keeping them healthy. Every year up to 40 percent of food crops is lost to plant pests and diseases. These losses in both yields and income have a devastating effect on the poorest communities who base their livelihoods on agriculture.

Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) is a nonnative, invasive tree whose decaying leaf litter alters water quality and the microbial community in the wetland habitats. This negatively impacts the lifecycle of semi-aquatic species like frogs.

European green crabs are one of the most widespread invasive marine species on the planet, originally reaching Washington in 1996. When green crab populations grow too large, they compete with other shellfish, disturb the sediment, and destroy the eelgrass that is an important habitat for Dungeness crab and salmon. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working to increase the effectiveness of Washington’s green crab early detection and rapid response program. Research conducted at the USGS' Western Fisheries Research Center aims to improve native shellfish habitat and limit the spread of European green crabs in coastal waters.

In 2021 a team of scientists from the University of Iowa, US, deployed innovative eDNA detection techniques to identify water courses where the New Zealand mud snail may be hiding unseen, which should allow them to identify the scale of the problem and deploy early interventions to keep populations in check before they do visible, irreversible damage.

Using appropriations to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58, also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in collaboration with other U.S. Department of the Interior bureaus, is providing grants to support implementation of measures that prevent the introduction or spread of invasive species. Proposals are requested that advance strategic, ecologically-based, landscape-level prevention measures. Landscape-level approaches are those that bring together multiple geographies, sectors, and stakeholders to protect and conserve natural resources on a larger scale.

Total funding available is $1,852,550. The USFWS anticipates funding one to four projects, ranging between $200,000 and $1,852,550. Proposals were due June 22, 2022. The anticipated award date was August 2022. Grant Opportunity - F22AS00320.

See related resource: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Overview for funding for the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), the Interior (DOI), and Commerce (DOC) that are directly or indirectly tied to invasive species management.

DisMAP provides easy access to information to track and understand distributions of marine species in the U.S. Marine Ecosystems. Launch the portal to explore, visualize and interact with information on marine species distributions. The portal  is part of NOAA Fisheries ongoing efforts to increase the delivery and use of climate-related information to advance climate-smart science and management decisions.  The portal enables users to view, download, dynamically explore and visualize data and information on species distributions. Specifically, users can explore changes in species distributions on a map and view time series graphs showing changes in key metrics of a species distribution (e.g., average latitude, average depth) over time for over 800 species collected in NOAA bottom trawl surveys.
See also: NOAA Showcases New Mapping Tool for Marine Species: Data Reveals Fish are Shifting into Different Waters (News Release - Apr 19, 2022)

Native species in California's estuaries are expected to experience greater declines as invasive species interact with climate change, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. The study "Biological Invasions Alter Consumer-stress Relationships Along an Estuarine Gradient," published in the Ecological Society of America's journal, Ecology, said these declines are expected not only because of climate-related stressors, but also because of the expanding influence of new invasive predators whose impacts are occurring much farther up the estuary.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) delivers high-quality data, technologies, and decision-support tools to help managers reduce existing populations and control the spread of invasive carp in the Nation's waterways.
See also: Geonarratives for all USGS geonarrative / story map resources

The U.S. Geological Survey provides natural-resource managers with scientific information, risk assessment, and tools that can help to improve surveillance, prevention, and control strategies for managing invasive carp.
Fact Sheet 2022–3012