Control and Management

Red swamp crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii) and Rusty crayfish ( Faxonius rusticus) are invasive crayfish species in nearly all Great Lakes states (https://nas.er.usgs.gov/viewer/omap.aspx?SpeciesID=217). Both species are a concern in Michigan because they can displace native crayfish populations, their feeding behavior reduces habitat for amphibians, juvenile fish, invertebrates, and waterfowl...

Lampricides are usually ordered and produced in large quantities every two or three years depending on projected need. The majority of the lampricides are used within three years. The chemical stability of lampricides stored under normal standard operating procedures is not known beyond three years. Product that has been stored for more than 3 years has to be tested for percent active ingredient...

Islands and atolls throughout the Pacific have been impacted by invasive ant species. Threatening native ants and other arthropods with their aggressive behavior and ability to colonize large geographic areas, invasive ants pose one of the most serious threats to island ecosystems. This project focuses on three areas of the Pacific: American Samoa, Rose Atoll, and Johnston Atoll.

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...

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...

A requirement for managing a species, be it a common native species, a species of conservation concern, or an invasive species, is having some information on its distribution and potential drivers of distribution. Branch scientists have been tackling the question of where these types of species are and where they might be in the future.

The establishment and proliferation of exotic plants and animals can interfere with native ecological processes and can cause severe stress to sensitive ecosystems.