PSMFC 66PSMFC 66thth Annual Meeting Annual Meeting Coeur d’Alene , ID Coeur d’Alene , ID

September 24, 2013

Invasive Species Update

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 …

Graphic: Stephen Cox, ISDA; Data: USGS, Gainesville

2007

Rye Patch/Lahontan 2011

2013 Lake Powell: Important to Idaho

Only uninfested states in the West are MT, OR, ID, WA, WY,

and AK

Wild Horse Reservoir

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 FerriterAIS 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, DirectorU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

2/3/2012 Northwest Power and Conservation Council Daniel M. Ashe, DirectorU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

2/13/2012 

Babtist Paul Lumley, Executive DirectorColumbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Daniel M. AsheDirector, 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 ProgramsOffice of Management and Budget

12/ 20/2012 

Pacific Northwest Economic Region Secretary Ken SalazarDepartment 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.

9/6/13 Caught in Treaty commercial gear above The Dalles Dam on Sept.

6.

June 2013: Possible striped bass going through Bradford Island count station at

Bonneville Dam

MITTEN CRAB DISAPPEARING ACT Eriocheir sinensis

In the autumn of 1998 over 775,000 mitten crabs interfered with Federaland State fish salvage facilities in Tracy, CA

Population steadily declined since 2001, the last report from 2010 at the CVP Fish Facility: 3 crabs.

Atlantic Salmon Adult Escapes

No BC Data since 2008

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