The "poster children" for aquatic invasive species in New York are the zebra and quagga mussels. They have invaded many of the state's prime waters. They have transformed the Lake Erie and Ontario ecosystems from pelagic systems - where fish and other organisms live and thrive throughout the water column - into benthic systems - where life forms are concentrated on the lake bottoms.

-NYS Invasive Species Task Force

Like all poster children, zebra and quagga mussels represent a broad group of aquatic invasive species. Eurasian watermilfoil is the most widespread aquatic nuisance across North America and is a problem in hundreds of lakes throughout the state. Watermilfoil is damaging to fish populations and makes recreational activities difficult as the submerged plant ends up entangled in boat propellers, oars, and fishing gear. Financial damages related to recreation have not been assessed but control is limited and costly.

As a region still largely untouched by aquatic invasive species, the Adirondacks represent a rare opportunity to protect New York’s waters. Consider these facts: Of the 183 aquatic invasive species known to have infiltrated the Great Lakes (Lake Ontario is only about 40 miles from the park’s boundary), 47 are already in Lake Champlain. Yet the threat is real: already, some 50
Adirondack lakes, many of which are prized by anglers and boaters (such as Lake George, Upper, Middle and Lower Saranac, and several in the Fulton Chain) are contaminated with invasive species. Recent discoveries outside the park show the risks remain unabated:

• The New Zealand mud snail, which has reached densities of one-half million per 10 square feet, was discovered in Lake Ontario in 1991. By 2006 the snail had spread to the western shores of Lake Superior and the freshwater estuary of the Saint Louis River.
• In fall 2006, scientists detected the latest invader of the Great Lakes: a half-inch, bright orange shrimp native to the Black and Caspian Seas. This shrimp feeds on phyto- and zooplankton and threatens the food chain in the Great Lakes.
• Also last fall, a devastating fish disease called viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) raised state and federal alarms. Threatening native fish populations, VHS caused major fish kills in Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and Conesus Lake.

Yet, for all the aquatic invasives identified outside the Adirondacks, far fewer have been documented in the interior lakes. To keep aquatic invasives out, organizations within the Adirondack Park have devised a plan. The Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Management Plan is a blueprint for protecting the park’s waterways and prevention is at the heart of the strategy.

The plan envisions:

• Coordinating an early detection and rapid response program.
• Providing training to the public and staff about current NYS Aquatic Nuisance Species rules and regulations.
• Posting and maintaining ANS advisory signs at boat launches.
• Training and coordinating stewards at a variety of boat launches to intercept aquatic invasives.
• Developing public service announcements.

An estimated $8.5 million is needed annually to implement the plan and adequately manage aquatic nuisance species in the Adirondack Park. The costs associated with doing nothing, however, are far greater, as communities like Lake George and Saranac Lake have learned only too well after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to control aggressive aquatic species.

<< Back to Nature New York Spring/Summer 2007

Nature picture credits: Photo © Carl Heilman II (Adirondacks); Photo © GOAA (shrimp); Photo © USGS (snail).