MAISRC in the News

Volunteer 'detectors' will watch the water in invasive species fight

June 26, 2017

They may not look like traditional detectives, but a new group of trained volunteers is ready to hit the lakes on the lookout for aquatic invaders.

More than a dozen volunteers spent a sunny summer day last week in a windowless basement in Brainerd learning how to identify invasive species and avoid being fooled by look-alikes.

They are the latest graduates from the AIS Detectors program, a joint project between the University of Minnesota Extension Service and the U's Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center.


New squad of AIS detectives about to hit the streets -- er, lakes

June 19, 2017

A newly trained batch of gumshoes are about to enter the hunt for aquatic invasive species, casting a dragnet for insidious foreign infiltrators.

When a concerned citizen calls the state about possibly finding one of the nefarious hostile organisms, these new rookies will be the first ones on the scene to confirm what kind of strange plant or animal the citizen is dealing with: is it a native-born critter, like the virile crayfish? Or an invasive species, like the rusty crayfish? Regular zooplankton, or spiny waterflea, one of the possible culprits ailing the Mille Lacs walleye population? A small regular mussel, or the dreaded zebra mussel?


Taking on starry stonewort's opening act

June 17, 2017

Starry stonewort might sound like the name of some obscure, grunge band.

Yet the latest aquatic invasive species to reach Minnesota has the potential to be a big time menace and as notorious as other unwanted invaders like eurasian milfoil and curly leaf pondweed.

It all depends on what happens on Lake Koronis.


Minnesota's largest invasive carp captured near Redwood Falls

June 8, 2017

A bow angler fishing in a private gravel pit near Redwood Falls Sunday caught the largest invasive carp recorded in Minnesota. The bighead carp measured 47½ inches in length and weighed 61.7 pounds.

Nick Frohnauer, invasive fish coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said the angler immediately reported the capture to the DNR and was helpful getting the specimen delivered to the area fisheries office. "The news of this capture is somewhat alarming, given the size and location," Frohnauer said. "This bighead carp was captured about 80 miles upstream from the only other bighead carp captured in the Minnesota River."


Researchers Study Invasive Mussels Near Apostle Islands On Lake Superior

June 6, 2017

Invasive zebra and quagga mussels were discovered for the first time in recent years around the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior. National Park Service officials are working with researchers to find out how the aquatic hitch hikers got there.

Zebra mussels were first found in the Duluth-Superior harbor in 1989 while quagga mussels arrived in the ballast water of ships in 2005. The aquatic invaders tend to crowd out native freshwater mussels.

Julie Van Stappen with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore said divers discovered zebra mussels in 2015 and 2016 on the Sevona shipwreck near Sand Island.


Citizen Scientists Needed to Combat Aquatic Invasive Species

May 23, 2017

Are you looking for a way to get involved in your community?  Sometimes that might mean being an usher at your church or working at the food shelf or hosting a program on KAXE/KBXE.  If you are a scientist, there is a new program that could use your help in combating Aquatic Invasive Species like zebra mussels, starry stonewort and others.

Registration is now open for AIS Detectors, a new volunteer network and science-based training program launched by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center in partnership with University of Minnesota Extension.


Minnesota Boaters Urged To Fend Off New Invasive Plant

May 11, 2017

After coming out of the water at Gray’s Bay, Brent Schlosser knows the routine: clean, drain and dry, the new mantra for Minnesota boaters.

“If I see anything clinging to the trailer or boat, I can remove it easily,” he said.

Stopping the spread of zebra mussels and Eurasian milfoil has been a priority for DNR officials in recent years.

However, there’s a new hitchhiker for Minnesota boaters to worry about — starry stonewort.

It’s a plant-like algae that spreads into a tangled web of dense mats, choking the life out of lakes.

Because so little is known about how starry stonewort spreads, the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center is monitoring its growth.


Stop the spread: Efforts continue to control aquatic invasive species

May 6, 2017

If you’ve lived in lakes country for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard about aquatic invasive species--the small and oftentimes microscopic plants and animals that inhabit lakes throughout the country. In the midst of all the other signage you pass each day, you’ve undoubtedly seen the, “Stop aquatic hitchhikers!” billboards and may have noticed the warning signs posted at the entrance points to local lakes.

However, before you head out onto the water this spring and summer, grab a cold beverage and take a moment to refresh your knowledge of why those billboards and signs exist.

Understanding aquatic invasive species


Lake Koronis is test lab in fight against invasive species

April 20, 2017

Beneath the calm surface of Lake Koronis, a war is being waged against an invasive algae threatening the health of this popular recreation spot.

Starry stonewort first showed up in Minnesota in 2015 in Lake Koronis near Paynesville. Since then, experts have been trying to figure out how to get rid of the pesky species.

But the grasslike algae has now spread to eight other Minnesota lakes, where it can form dense mats that make boating, fishing and swimming difficult.
 


Great Lakes vulnerable to outbreak of fish virus

April 13, 2017

Conditions might be right in parts of the Great Lakes for another outbreak of a deadly fish virus.

Large parts of the lakes have environments that could support a new outbreak of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Fish Disease. The same virus was responsible for large fish die-offs in the region from 2006 to 2009, including a 2006 event that killed several thousand muskies in Lake St. Clair, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The areas suitable for the virus are often shallow spots without much vegetation and that see lower maximum surface temperatures, according to the study. VHS requires cool water (50 degrees Fahrenheit or colder) and low levels of salt and minerals.