Aquatic plants play a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems, offering essential habitats for fish and supporting a wide range of ecosystem services. Known as macrophytes, these plants grow in or around water and can either be rooted in soil or float, with some being partially or fully submerged. Researchers from Michigan State University surveyed 78
The Friends of the White River in Wisconsin saw their 2013 weed harvest get off to a good start on Wednesday, June 26. The harvester and operators were on lease from the White River Flowage Lake Management District. The harvester, by the end of work on June 27, harvested an estimated 50,000 pounds of aquatic
Weed growth in St. Albans Bay in Vermont was not as bad this past summer as anticipated according to Steve Cushing, President of the St. Albans Area Watershed Association (SAAWA). Last year, high, turbid waters and a layer of sediment carried into the lake by flooding and rainfall reduced weed growth, explained Cushing. With clear
A common aquarium plant illegally dumped into Alaskan waters that has adapted to cold weather could threaten wild salmon habitat and cost the commercial fishing industry hundreds of millions of dollars. A recent study conducted by ISER, the Institute of Social and Economic Research, found that if not managed, the cost of the elodea invasion
A recent increase in aquatic vegetation in Wheeler Reservoir in Alabama has anglers smiling, but local skiers, pleasure boaters and homeowners see the weeds as a menace. Tennessee Valley Authority officials said they are hearing lots of complaints from homeowners and boaters about the hydrilla, eel grass, star grass and milfoil up and down the
Forty-one towns in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, Brazil were affected when the Fundão iron mine tailings dam in Mariana, Minas Gerais state (Southeast Brazil) burst on November 5, 2015, and 19 people died. The toxic waste is estimated to have contaminated 240.8 hectares of Atlantic Rainforest and killed 14 metric tons of fish. Brazilian
The Department of Natural Resources has completed a Strategic Analysis of Aquatic Plant Management (APM) in Wisconsin, summarizing current information on APM and potential management alternatives. The Strategic Analysis report [PDF] will help inform decision-makers and the public about this topic and aid in the development of future APM policy. While aquatic plants are a
Michigan anglers are fed up with the way some area lake associations have amped up their aquatic plant treatments in recent years. The annual dump of herbicides has destroyed a lot of fish habitat in recent years. It doesn’t matter whether you fish for panfish, bass, pike or walleye; excessive treatments have negative effects. Plants
Whether you visited Renner Reservoir for the first or 10th time this summer, you probably noticed a branchy, aquatic algae called chara covering the bottom of the reservoir. Compared to other aquatic plants, which are referred to as macrophytes, chara forms denser mats offering less habitat for fish and a less palatable meal for invertebrates.
DeGray Lake was once known for thick beds of aquatic vegetation, which included non-native species such as hydrilla and Brazilian elodea that grew to as deep as 20 feet in some places and caused issues with boating and other recreation. In 2008 and 2009, extremely low water throughout winter exposed the root systems of this