The Fight Against Invasive Species

   In the battle against invasive species there's many rules, regulations, policies and laws that are enforced to try and not only control invasive species that are already in Wisconsin but to also prevent new ones from establishing and calling Wisconsin home. One of those that I found is the Invasive Species Rule, specifically chapter NR 40 of the rule. The Invasive Species Rule chapter NR 40 makes it illegal to possess, transport, transfer or introduce certain invasive species without the possession of a permit, which must be obtained from the DNR.

   The Invasive Species Rule, chapter NR 40, prevents people from transporting, possessing, transferring or introducing invasive species by requiring them to obtain a permit. The process to obtain one of these permits is very intricate and a person must complete all of the steps before they will be granted a permit. The steps for obtaining a permit are as follows;

   1) The person applying must submit a written application that states what the invasive species is being used for transport, possession, transferring or introduction. They must describe any other permits that they already have and why they need this particular permit. They also need to state where the species will be kept and how they're going to dispose of them once they're finished.

   2) They must fit the approval criteria. They must know the proper management of the invasive species they're dealing with. They must have the proper facility to house them and that the species won't have any significant harm to it's environment or the people around it.

   3) Issuance and conditions which means that if there's a lot of public interest in the species the DNR will hold a public meeting before it makes the final decision on the permit.

   4) Records and recording which means the person who obtained the permit must keep accurate and complete records of all their activities, this is required by the DNR and can be taken by them at any point and subject to an inspection.

   5) The transferring or alteration of a permit isn't allowed unless the person has been given authorization by the DNR to do so.

   6) No one is allowed to violate these terms for any reason and if they do the DNR is allowed to issue them a citation, refer them to the department of justice for enforcement and even revoke any permit that they were issued under chapter NR 40.

   The DNR not only enforces the Invasive Species Rule through the regulation of giving permits and making sure people are obeying the standards that are in place for each permit, but they also enforce the precautions that are put in place by the rule. The precautions are as follows;

   1) people are required to notify the DNR if for any reason a invasive species or part of an invasive species has escaped or may possibly escape, and they must give them the location of where the species was and the name of the species.

   2) Immediate removal of aquatic plant or animal and the drainage of water. This means that any vehicle, boat, boat trailer or any other equipment must be cleaned of any plant or animal species that's attached to it and must also be drained of any water before it can leave the launch dock or the parking area.

   3) Transport of vehicles and equipment into Wisconsin. This states that any transport over land of a vehicle, boat, boat trailer, boating or fishing equipment must be cleared of any plant, animal or water that may be on or in it before it's allowed to enter the state.

   4) Illegal to launch, take off or transport. This states that no one can place or use a vehicle, water craft or other object of any kind in any wetland or non-navigable water of the state if it has any aquatic plant or animal attached to it.

   5) Quarantined materials, which means no one can transport an identified carrier of an invasive species from a department infestation control zone.

   6) Use of prohibited fish or crayfish as bait. This states that unless a person has a permit to do so they can't use prohibited fish or crayfish invasive species as fishing bait.

   7) Introduction prohibited. This states that unless a person has a permit to do so they can't introduce a nonnative algae or cynobacteria species in any state water.

  The Invasive Species Rule is more than just handing out permits to people and making regulations, its also about putting these regulations into act and doing what they can to stop the establishment of new invasive species and to also stop the spread of current invasive species that are already established. While the Invasive Species Rule deals with over 128 different invasive species, one in particular that they deal with that has a large impact on the native aquatic life of the Great Lakes is the Sea Lamprey. Like most other invasive species that have flourished in the great lakes the Sea Lamprey has devastated the ecosystem of the Lakes it has established itself into.

   The Sea Lamprey is a parasitic fish that is originally native to the Atlantic Ocean and it's thought that it's introduction first began in 1835 when it was first spotted in Lake Ontario. At first they were kept contained by the Niagara Falls which had served as a natural barrier to them, however, in the 1800's and early 1900's there were improvements to the Welland Canal which gave a bypass around the Falls to allow for a shipping connection, which in turn allowed the Lamprey access to all the Great Lakes and their population has since flourished. In it's native habitat of the Atlantic Ocean the Lamprey doesn't have such devastating effects because not only does it have natural predators but also because their food source has evolved through co-evolution which allows them to survive an attack with few consequences, while the fish native to the Great Lakes weren't able to co-evolve so they rarely survive an attack from a lamprey. When a Lamprey feeds it attaches its suction like mouth to the fish and grips it with its teeth, it than attacks the skin and scales of the fish with a sharp tongue which tears a whole in the host fish allowing them access to the hosts blood and other bodily fluids by secreting an enzyme that prevents their blood from clotting. Due to this aggressive attack it can cause the direct death of the fish or because the wound they leave behind is so severe it can cause the fish to die from infection. The Lamprey has devastated the Great Lakes fish populations because not only do they reproduce at a significantly faster rate than the native fish with a single female being able produce up to 100,000 eggs in their lifetimes. They also have a large food source because they're able to feed on several different fish species that are native to the Great Lakes.

  This image shows the suction mouth and teeth of a Sea Lamprey




This image shows the Sea Lamprey attached to a host fish.





This image shows the wound that is left behind by the Sea Lamprey


   However, even though the Sea Lamprey has caused serious damage to the fish of the Great Lakes, with the installation of the Invasive Species Rule enforced by the DNR which helps stop the movement of the Lamprey and by working with the Great Lakes Fishery, they have been able to put a dent in the population growth of the Sea Lamprey. They have implemented tactics that stop not only the spawning of larvae by using a lampricides that are specialized pesticides for Sea Lamprey's that prevent them from developing and migrating to lakes to feed. They have also implemented a barrier system that prevents the Lamprey's from reaching their spawning grounds by catching them in nets and allowing them to be than be removed, but still allowing other fish to migrate to their spawning grounds and reproduce.





Image of the barriers put in place to
prevent the movement of Sea Lamprey



sources:

Invasive Species Rule. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://dnr.wi.gov

Chapter NR40, Invasive Species identification,classification and control. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/

Sea Lamprey control in the Great Lakes. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.glfc.org/