Invasive Species

The result of this technical assistance is critical to developing a lamprey pheromone as a tool to control lamprey populations in the Great Lakes. If lamprey populations are left uncontrolled, the effects lamprey would have on the fishery industry in the Great Lakes would be devastating.

The results of this research may lead to a more efficient use of the lampricides used to control lamprey populations in the Great Lakes. If lamprey populations are left uncontrolled, the effects on commercial and sport fisheries in the Great Lakes would be devastating. The treatment of sea lamprey spawning tributaries with mixtures of the piscicides 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and 2'5'...

The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) provides regulatory affairs assistance to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), state and private partners in matters regarding numerous registrations of the lampricides TFM and niclosamide in the U.S. and Canada. The result of this technical...

Concerns regarding the exposure of wildlife to TFM and niclosamide that would result from the consumption of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) larvae exposed to these chemicals has prompted a need to investigate uptake of these chemicals in larval lampreys. A study to address concerns regarding the exposure of the endangered common term during the treatment of the St. Marys River was completed in...

The pesticides 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and niclosamide selectively target larval sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) because they have a much lower capacity to detoxify these lampricides by forming glucuronide conjugates compared to typical non-target fishes. Glucuronidation makes lampricides more water soluble and easier to excrete (Lech and Statham 1975; Kane et al. 1994). However...

The lampricides 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and 2’,5-dichloro-4’-nitrosalicylanilide (niclosamide) have been used successfully more than 30 years to kill sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) larvae in streams and rivers tributary to the Great Lakes. TFM is sold under the commercial name Lamprecid®, a formulation of the sodium salt of TFM which is approximately 35% active ingredient by weight...

Niclosamide (2-amino ethanol salt of 5-chloro-N-[2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl]-2-hydroxybenzamide, NIC) is the active ingredient in the lampricide Bayluscide®. Bayluscide® 70% wettable powder is typically used in combination with TFM to reduce the amount of TFM required for an effective treatment. The 3.2% granular formulation of Bayluscide® is normally used alone to assess larval sea lamprey...

Zebra and quagga mussels were first introduced into the Great Lakes in the 1980’s and they have since expanded to over 750 inland lakes in addition to the 5 Great Lakes. A 2009 study conducted by the Idaho Aquatic Nuisance Species Taskforce estimated the annual economic threat of dreissenids to Idaho to be $94 million. A literature review conducted by Lovell and Stone (2005) demonstrates the...

A dead-cell, spray-dried powder formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain CL145A was recently approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for control of dreissenid mussels (zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussel, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) in open-water environments. The EPA approved product, Zequanox® (registration number 84059-15) is manufactured by Marrone...

Zebra mussels (Dreissenia polymorpha) are native to the Black, Caspian, and Aral Seas of eastern Europe (Gollasch and Leppäkoski 1999) and they were likely introduced into Lake Erie as veliger larvae in the summer or fall of 1985 (Hebert et al. 1989). Their high reproductive capacity and planktonic larval stage enable zebra mussels to rapidly disperse (Birnbaum 2011). Less than 10 years after...

Control technology for dreissenid mussels currently relies heavily on chemical molluscicides that can be both costly and ecologically harmful. There is a need to develop more environmentally neutral control tools to manage dreissenid mussels. Carbon dioxide has shown toxicity to several species of invasive bivalves, including zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and the Asian clam (Corbicula...

With the increasing prevalence of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS), the implementation of new control techniques to inhibit the dispersal of AIS is strongly desired. For a technique to be a truly viable option, the process would inhibit the movement of AIS between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes. A physical barrier separating these regions...