Invasive Species Update
PSMFC 66th Annual Meeting
Coeur d’Alene , ID
September 24, 2013
Stephen Phillips,
Aquatic Invasive Species Program
Aquatic Invasive Species Program Since 1999
Main Species of Concern: Zebra and Quagga Mussels
Talk Outline
Update on Quagga/Zebra Mussels
European Green Crab
Atlantic Salmon
Pacu , Striped Bass, Mitten Crab
PSMFC AIS Program Support Provided by
ZEBRA/QUAGGA MUSSEL (AKA Dreissenids)
FACTS
 Can live out of water for up to two weeks – move by attaching to
watercraft/equipment (adults) or by contaminated water (downstream flow,
Ballast) (larvae AKA “veligers”)
Ballast Tanks in Recreational
Watercraft
(wakeboard boats)
ZEBRA/QUAGGA MUSSEL
 ERADICATION: Ecologically friendly way to eradicate ?
 Zequanox currently used for control…BUT maybe can be used in place of copper/chlorine
based biocides for eradication?….
 good news: no impacts to T&E species, issue is permitting, …….working with Marrone Bio
Innovations, the makers of Zequanox
 Lake Mead NRA still is the primary QUAGGA source for the NW -- LM quagga mussel
population early 2012 est. @ 1.5 trillion adults; 320 trillion larvae (veligers)
 …but in Fall 2012 population took a downturn…. Current: Seems like it has
recovered below 20 feet
 Veligers found within 150 miles of Columbia River Basin [Rye Patch Reservoir,
Lahontan Reservoirs, NV ]…Good News: 2013 sampling all negative …
 Concerns about Wildhorse reservoir in Northern Nevada – headwaters of CRB
 Mussel contaminated watercraft are continually being intercepted in the Northwest
@ state watercraft inspection stations …
Only uninfested states in the West
are MT, OR, ID, WA, WY, and AK
Wild Horse Reservoir
Rye Patch/Lahontan 2011
2013 Lake Powell: Important to Idaho
2007
Graphic: Stephen Cox, ISDA; Data: USGS, Gainesville
Columbia River Basin (CRB) prevention efforts focus on watercraft
interception roadside stations
The 4 CRB states combined spend ~ $ 2 million/yr on watercraft
interception programs
WA, OR, and ID have a boater sticker /registration fee to pay for
watercraft inspection programs, MT & BC general funds
Minimal federal funds support state watercraft inspection program
Samuels, Idaho
2013 Inspection Station Locations
(Inspection of commercially hauled watercraft at POE’s)
BOATS INTERCEPTED
• 2012 – 352
• 2013 – 165 (YTD)
Reduced number in ‘13 likely because of Mead population
downturn and lack of barges (50+ in ‘12) and BETTER
PUBLIC COMPLIANCE W/ CLEAN DRAIN DRY
I. LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
The FY 2012 Interior Appropriation bill included language to the U.S. Department of
Interior (Rep. Simpson): $1,000,000 towards the implementation of mandatory
operational inspection and decontamination stations at Federally-managed or
interjurisdictional water bodies considered to be of highest risk….
July 2012 (YEAR ONE $): Lake Mead was seen as the greatest threat and a spending
plan was developed by USFWS SW Region
BUT the plan did not address, for a host of agencies in the CRB, sufficient staffing
for on the ground watercraft decontamination nor bolstered law enforcement @
Lake Mead (despite significant pushback)…
July 2013 (YEAR TWO $): FY 2013 new spending plan rolled out Summer 2013
($900k) GOOD NEWS
•
•
•
•
NV DOW ($400k) to begin inspections at some marinas SOON
AZ GFD ($260K) for a Decontamination station at Lake Havasu
PSMFC ($67K) for Watercraft Decontamination Training
Still in development: Tracking of contaminated moored boats at Mead – check
in Check out
LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
PSMFC 2012 Annual Meeting Resolution On Lake Mead
April 2013 Letter to SOI Jewell
•
The PSMFC commissioners are on record, by unanimous vote, to communicate with
you to “direct the National Park Service to utilize all existing authorities onsite at
Lake Mead to immediately inspect and decontaminate all watercraft of quagga
mussels leaving Lake Mead.
•
“Numerous agencies and organizations over the last four years have repeatedly
requested that the Department of Interior improve watercraft decontamination
procedures at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA). For reference, we have
attached correspondence summaries on this issue from West Coast states, tribal
groups, legislators, interstate fish/wildlife organizations, NGO’s, as well as power
production and economic interests.”
DATE
FROM
TO
7/24/2008
US Senator Dianne Feinstein
Secretary Dirk Kempthorne
5/21/2009
US Senators Dianne Feinstein, John McCain, John Kyl, Harry Reid and John Ensign
Secretary Ken Salazar, Lisa Jackson, Administrator, Environmental
Protection Agency
6/9/2009
Idaho Governor Butch Otter
Secretary Ken Salazar
11/3/2009
Amy Ferriter
AIS Coordinator, Idaho Department of Agriculture (ISDA)
Superintendent William Dickenson, Lake Mead National Recreation Area
(LMNRA)
9/25/2009
Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER)
Secretary Ken Salazar
10/14/2009
Director Phil Anderson, Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
Superintendent William Dickenson, LMNRA
4/21/2010
Larry Dalton, AIS Coordinator,
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Superintendent William Dickenson, LMNRA
5/14/2010
Michael D. Stone, Chief of Fisheries, WYDFG
Superintendent William Dickenson, LMNRA
10/22/2010
Thomas E. Remington, Chair, Colorado River Fish and Wildlife Council (COFWC)
Secretary Ken Salazar
11/17/2010
Celia Gould Director, ISDA
Superintendent William Dickenson, LMNRA
12/27/2010
Celia Gould Director, ISDA
Superintendent William Dickenson, LMNRA
1/18/2012
Celia Gould Director, ISDA
Secretary Ken Salazar
1/26/2012
Larry Voyles, Chair, COFWC
Dr. Daniel M. Ashe, Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
2/3/2012
Northwest Power and Conservation Council
Daniel M. Ashe, Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
2/13/2012
Babtist Paul Lumley, Executive Director
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Daniel M. Ashe
Director, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
5/15/2012
Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER)
Mike Oetker, Assistant Regional Director – Fisheries Region 2 USFWS
5/22/12
Northwest Power and Conservation Council
Mike Oetker, Assistant Regional Director – Fisheries Region 2 USFWS
6/18/2012
Representative Eric Anderson, ID House of Representatives
Secretary Ken Salazar
6/29/2012
The Nature Conservancy (Joint letter: States of ID, MT, OR, WA, WY, AZ)
Superintendent William Dickenson, LMNRA; Mike Oetker, Assistant
Regional Director – Fisheries Region 2 USFWS
10/2/ 2012
Northwest Power and Conservation Council
Sally Ericsson, Associate Director for Natural Resource Programs
Office of Management and Budget
12/ 20/2012
Pacific Northwest Economic Region
Secretary Ken Salazar
Department of the Interior
DOI Invasive Species Strategy (AKA Invasive Species Action Plan
Challenge, ON-Off Federal Lands/Waters) :
•
Related to 1999 EO 13112 on invasive species (which says not authorize,
fund, or carry out actions that it believes are likely to cause or promote the
introduction or spread of invasive species in the United States..to the
extent practicable ) …
•
Remember Lake Mead NRA #1 source of contaminated boats in ’12 and in
our opinion, federal waters should not be the source of an invasive species
•
This is not just a Lake Mead issue, other federally owned lands…and it is
one of the reasons we sought H.R. 1823 (legislative listing of Quagga
Mussels)
•
Status: DOI staff currently collecting rules and regulations, on federally
owned lands, but late 2014 release date and then a “strategy” will be
considered (?)
• Implementation of the administrative process so that Federally managed
waterbodies are not a source of AIS must be expedited
WHERE DO WE GO ?
Reauthorization of the National Invasive Species Act ?
•
Last reauthorized in 1996 ..Great Lakes Centric (it’s a bear)
•
Reauthorization maybe easier now as ballast water provisions could be stripped
out (USCG/EPA have moved forward with ballast water regulations)
•
Authorizations in new bill could address need for western quagga/zebra
support and priorities
Seek Stand Alone Western Quagga Bill?
•
For example, use Great Lakes Asian Carp legislation as a model -- The Stop
Invasive Species Act, H.R. 4406 (passed as part of 2012 highway bill)
•
Last Western specific bill (2001): “Stop Westward Aquatic Threats Act”
(H. R. 2732, Baird {WA}, died in committee)
•
Easier path
House Invasive Species Caucus (Mike Thompson (D-CA) Rep. Dan Benishek (R-MI).
•
DC briefing in October …we have interest on both sides of the aisle….and this
Caucus may assist in rolling out legislation
European Green Crab
They prey on clams, oysters, mussels,
“potentially” compete with Dungeness crab
Introduced into California from the East
coast in the 1970’s
By 1998 had moved north into Vancouver
Island with an el Niño facilitated
transport
Currently PSMFC supports monitoring in
WA (Gray’s/Willapa) and Oregon
Until summer 2012 only one EGC found
inside Puget Sound/Straits waters (1999,
near Victoria BC)
July 2012 DFO found significant numbers
of Green Crabs in Sooke Harbor, more than
one year class
European Green Crab
2013 Monitoring
DFO -- conducted a two-week broad-brush survey
for green crabs in the Strait of Georgia
No green crabs were found.
DFO -- survey of Juan de Fuca Strait from Port San
Juan through Sooke, Esquimalt and Victoria to
Boundary Bay and Steveston:
Green crabs were found only in Sooke they are increasing in abundance (new
year class is present).
OSU: West side of San Juan Island: No green
crabs were found.
2014 – Increase monitoring on US side??
PACU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PACU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Striped Bass
6/17/13: striped bass landed in the lower
Columbia below Bonneville Dam. It was
caught by a commercial fisher in the gorge.
It weighed 52 pounds and had nearly 10
pounds of eggs but also an empty stomach.
June 2013: Possible striped bass going through
Bradford Island count station at Bonneville Dam
9/6/13 Caught in Treaty commercial gear
above The Dalles Dam on Sept. 6.
MITTEN CRAB DISAPPEARING ACT
Eriocheir sinensis
In the autumn of 1998 over 775,000
mitten crabs interfered with Federal
and State fish salvage facilities in Tracy, CA
Population steadily declined since
2001, the last report from 2010 at the
CVP Fish Facility: 3 crabs.
No BC Data since 2008
Atlantic Salmon Adult Escapes
Atlantic Salmon Adult Captures
2012: First time in 20+ years, AK Reported “0” Interceptions
Preventing an Invasion: Building a Regional Defense against
Quagga and Zebra Mussels
(Vancouver, WA May 15, 2013)
Sponsors: The PSMFC, Pacific NorthWest Economic Region, NWPCC and PSU
The workshop developed a set of action items addressing the challenges and barriers
to prevent the introduction of invasive mussels to the Pacific Northwest. For the
Presentations from the workshop and the action plan developed go to:
http://preventinganinvasion.psmfc.org/
THANK YOU