Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Why Not Us?
Back in January 2007, an article in the Denver Post asked an interesting question: Why did the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis), found in several states in the Northeast USA, seem to skip over Colorado in its spread to the west, and end up in Nevada (in Lake Mead)? Well, ask no more, Denver Post. KOAA.com and others are reporting that the quagga mussel has been discovered for the first time in Colorado, in Lake Granby. The lake is actually a storage reservoir located on the Colorado River, which has already seen quagga mussel incursions via its southern tip...Lake Mead. The quaggas are thought to have arrived in the reservoir via ballast discharge.
Pair this with the discovery of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in Lake Pueblo in late 2007, and Colorado has no need to feel left out any more!
Labels: ballast, Colorado, mussels, quagga mussels, zebra mussels
Jennifer Forman Orth 10:19 PM
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Are You Down With EAB? Yeah, You Know Me...
Looks like the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, "EAB") is back and making its presence known in Virginia. According to this report at the Fairfax Times, an infestation has been found in Herndon, the first in Fairfax County since an accidental planting of EAB-filled ash trees imported from Maryland back in 2003. There had been no new sightings since then, so it is thought that the eradication that began the year those trees were planted was successful. That points to some other pathway as the source for this latest EAB find. A note from an invasive species listserver indicates there will likely be at least one other confirmed sighting in Fairfax County as well.
Fairfax County officials are asking anyone that sees dying ash trees or signs of the emerald ash borer to contact them at 703-324-5304, TTY 711.
Labels: beetles, emerald ash borer, insects, Virginia
Jennifer Forman Orth 10:10 PM
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Sunday, July 06, 2008
Indy Algy
Back in 2003, the ISW posted about the controversy surrounding PepsiCo's attempts to promote farming of the red marine alga Kappaphycus alvarezii in India. Now, as posted over at Indiannotion, Science Magazine is reporting that the alga has spread from where it is being cultivated, invading Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in the Bay of Bengal. At this point it remains unclear as to how the alga got there, since both PepsiCo and the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (which had been testing cultivation of the alga) are denying responsibility. While PepsiCo is volunteering funds to monitor and remove the algae from the marine reserve, scientists are concerned it may already be too late.
Interested readers will want to download the original research article from the May 2008 issue of the journal Current Science.
Labels: algae, India, marine
Jennifer Forman Orth 6:23 PM
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Thursday, July 03, 2008
A Seaway Of Controversy
There's an editorial in last Tuesday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel calling for the closure of the St. Lawrence Seaway in order to prevent ocean-bound ships from transporting new invasive species into the Great Lakes. The reasoning behind the idea is that freighters should be banned from the Seaway until the shipping industry can prove that appropriate measures are being taken to avoid introducing ballast invaders to the region. The Journal Sentinel also published an in-depth two part article on the subject last week.
Got an opinion on this? The MJS is looking for letters to the editor on the subject - details are at the end of the editorial.
(Thanks to Tracy C. for psychically pointing me towards this story ;-))
Labels: ballast, Great Lakes, marine, shipping
Jennifer Forman Orth 10:48 PM
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Monday, June 30, 2008
Your Biggest Fanworm
Stuff.co.nz is reporting that a fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii) native to the Mediterranean may have established itself at a port in New Zealand. The marine worm was first found last month, prompting a thorough search that yielded several specimens. Given that this species is prone to forming dense mats, officials are looking into whether eradication is a possibility.
Labels: marine, marine invertebrates, New Zealand, tube worm
Jennifer Forman Orth 11:22 PM
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Thursday, June 26, 2008
Bonjour, L'Agrile du Frêne
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is reporting that the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) has been found in Quebec, the first record for that province. The insect was apparently spotted in the Montérégie region, in Quebec's Southwestern corner, close to the border with Ontario (currently home to several infestations) and close to the US border as well. The CFIA is planning to ramp up surveys of ash trees where the beetles were found, and will likely institute some kind of a quarantine to prevent the movement of ash products away from the infested area.
Labels: beetles, Canada, emerald ash borer, insects
Jennifer Forman Orth 6:09 PM
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Sunday, June 22, 2008
All Snails Final
As reported on the ISW Twitter feed several weeks ago, the island apple snail (Pomacea insularum) was discovered in the state of South Carolina last May, the furthest north the mollusk has been found in the USA. Now Myrtle Beach Online has an update on how officials are dealing with the snails, in order to prevent their spread from the ponds they've been inhabiting. So far management efforts have included treating the ponds with copper sulfate to kill the snails, with additional applications planned if more eggs are found.
One interesting tidbit from the article: The snails were originally discovered by a 9-year-old! It was only when her mom casually mentioned the snails during a call to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources about what fish she could stock in the pond that the DNR realized there might be a problem.
P.S. - Don't miss the photo gallery that accompanies the article!
Labels: mollusks, snails, South Carolina
Jennifer Forman Orth 1:24 PM
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