Aquatic invasive species are non-native plants and animals that disrupt ecosystems, harm wildlife, and impact recreation. Learn how they spread, the problems they cause, and safe methods for control and management.
Trapa natans is native to Western Europe and Africa and northeast Asia, including eastern Russia, China, and southeast Asia to Indonesia. Trapa natans was first introduced to North America in the mid- to late-1870s, when it is known to have been introduced into the Cambridge botanical garden at Harvard University around 1877. A decade later
Starry stonewort was first discovered in Minnesota waters in Lake Koronis in 2015. It’s now found in 19 Minnesota waterbodies. Lake Koronis is helping researchers understand how a changing climate may influence this invasive and how we can better manage it. Overall, the research showed year-to-year variability in the total biomass of starry stonewort. There
Lake managers might be hurting native aquatic plants – instead of helping them – when they use chemicals to control invasive plants on entire lakes. New research by Wisconsin DNR Lakes and River Team Leader Dr. Alison Mikulyuk shows native plant communities can struggle when chemicals are used to target invasive Eurasian watermilfoil. It appears
Kirksville City Council members voted to approve a resolution to allow weed harvest operations at Forest Lake in Thousand Hills State Park, Missouri, as the invasive curly leaf pond weed is not only negatively affecting recreation activities, but also impacts water quality and the drinking water treatment process. In 2018, the city entered into a
Carraízo reservoir in Puerto Rico has fallen victim to two of the world’s most invasive aquatic plants: water lettuce and water hyacinth. Often found together, the invasive plants grow at exponential rates, obstruct waterways, clog hydropower plants, and prevent sunlight from penetrating the water’s surface, reducing water quality. The Aqueduct and Sewer Authority began its
In July, the last known patches of Giant Salvinia, an invasive and aggressive aquatic plant at the Barnett Reservoir in Mississippi, were eliminated. The vegetation was treated with multiple chemicals and then removed, but after six months of Giant Salvinia being absent from the lake, the cleanup team discovered the unwelcomed guest. Apparently a stray
The Okanagan Basin Water Board milfoil program has been so successful over the past five decades. Aquatic weed harvesters used in significant areas with milfoil infestation on Okanagan Lake, British Columbia, Canada are now clear of the invasive plant. Meanwhile, the water board continues to work with the province and environmental consultants to expand existing
County legislators are considering providing some type of support to a group trying to get rid of the Eurasian milfoil infestation in Black Lake, New York. The milfoil problem is exacerbated when propellers on boats going through the lake chop it up (prop chop) the and spread its seeds. Legislators debated what methods could stop
Hartbeespoort Dam in South Africa has a new invasive aquatic weed to battle, Salvinia minima. The proliferation of common salvinia, just as water hyacinth came under biological control through the combined efforts is no coincidence. In areas that experience high levels of nutrient inflow (pollution), the control of one aquatic weed opens resources to other
