Lessons I have learned from AIS Research

Peter W. Sorensen Department of Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology

University of Minnesota, St. Paul MN 55108

soren003@umn.edu; 612-624-4997

MN AIS Symposium

March 20 2012

OUTLINE

• Examples of success

• Lessons learned

• A way forward

• Questions?

There has been notable Success

Control of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

Sea lamprey invasion in 1920s triggered collapse of the Great Lakes fisheries…

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Lake Superior

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Early focus on barriers/ removal fails

Vern Applegate: Back to basics

Herculean search for a ‘larvicide’ (targeting)

• 6000+ compounds tested

• 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM )

Deployment of TFM + allies

$1.5 million for treatments each year

$3 million assessment

Alternative control and IPM…

Success!? • 90%+ reduction in lamprey • Recovery of many fishes

•Lake Sorell 5310 ha

•Lake Crescent 2305 ha

Common carp in Tasmania, Australia

Population Dynamics

Local

Population

Mortality

Immigration Emigration

Ecological

Damage ?

Reproduction

+ Recruitment

1. Block emigration/immigration

2. Remove adults en masse

2b. Target females

(Judas fish)

3. Block recruitment

(hot spots and pheromones)

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Lake Sorell

Total of 2734 carp

Lake Crescent

Total of 7797 carp removed Success

Integrated Control of Common Carp, 2005-

Overarching goal:

To develop biologically and economically sound plans for controlling carp in MN lakes over the long term…

Population Dynamics

Local

Population

Mortality

Immigration Emigration

Ecological

Damage ?

Reproduction

+ Recruitment

Our Objectives

1. POPULATION SIZE: How many carp are there, and what level of damage do they do?

2. MOVEMENT: What is the typical rate of immigration/ emigration, and how might it be controlled?

3. ADULT MORTALITY: What is a typical mortality rate and how might it be enhanced?

4. JUVENILE RECRUITMENT: What is a typical recruitment rate, what controls it, and how might it be enhanced?

1. How many carp? Methods: Very large scale summer and winter mark-recapture studies

2. How/ where do carp move (immigrate/emigrate)?

Methods: Radiotelemetry

Key results: Movement

1. Precise Spring movement

2. Summer spawning focused in wetlands

3. Winter aggregation

4. Little significant immigration

Bajer & Sorensen 2010. Biological Invasions

3. Mortality rates? Methods: Survivorship of marked carp over time

Results: Low adult mortality (7%)

Bajer & Sorensen 2010. Biological Invasions

4. Recruitment? Methods: Meticulous aging, trapping

Bajer & Sorensen 2010. Biological Invasions

Example Results: Recruitment history in Lake Susan

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Bajer & Sorensen 2010 Biological Invasions

Why winter hypoxia?

Lakes that ‘winterkill’ have no predators

to eat carp eggs and larvae in spring

(similar to summer hypoxia in Australia?)

Implementing IPM

1. Suppress recruitment (shallow lakes that winterkill) 2. Remove adults (deeper connected refuges) 3. Monitor and adapt

1. Suppress recruitment by ‘rebalancing’ native fish communities by preventing hypoxia and managing in

shallows

Aerate

2b. Remove adult carp in Lake Riley

94% population removed using Judas fish March 5, 2010

(Bajer, Chizinski & Sorensen (2011). Fish Ecology and Management)

Success!

Lessons learned

1. Have faith (every species has a weakness)!

2. Every species and water-body is different

3. Know your enemy really well

- Life history, physiology, population dynamics…*

- Understand its habits in local waters*

4. Multidisciplinary studies to develop multiple tools*

5. Need to be systematic yet imaginative*

6. Need Time (more than money)

Other Academic

State Federal

Research

Invasive Species Research Center

To develop new, permanent solutions to aquatic invasive species

The U’s research center

DNR

Control Watershed Districts

The Public

Center Objectives

1. To develop/ test new, reliable, useful monitoring programs

2. To develop new fish deterrence techniques

3. To develop new control techniques for local habitats

4. To develop new eradication techniques

5. To develop statistically sound strategies

6. To assist the DNR and others in the state with AIS

7. To work with, and enhance efforts of others.

Funding Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District

Legislative Citizens Commission for Minnesota Resources

Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District

Invasive-Animals Cooperative Research Centre (Australia)

National Science Foundation

USGS

GLFC

Sea Grant

Questions?

Lake

Sampling

sessions

Marked

Recaps

Population

Estimate

(95% CI)

Biomass

kg/ha

(lbs/acre)

Dutch 11 2088 122 13,312

(11,300 – 16,100) 402* (358)

Echo 13 929 72 8,167

(6,244-11,866) 471* (419)

Susan 11 361 15 4,459

(3,661-5,700) 338* (301)

Results: How Many

Bajer & Sorensen 2010 Biological Invasions

* Value is four times too high! (Bajer et al. 2008 Hydrobiologia)

Confirming that native fish eat carp eggs

Results:

- carp eggs disappeared within 3 days, prior to hatch

- 1000’s of eggs found in bluegill sunfish stomachs

- no juvenile carp found in Lake Keller in summer

Bluegill Predation

in Lake Keller

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Methods: Electrofish Lake Keller during carp spawning and pump stomachs

Silbernagel 2011

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Increase in water clarity in the spring

After removal

Before removal

Sources: MPCA, UofM

CLEAR TURBID

Record clarity!

‘Ecosystem engineer’

‘an organism that modifies, creates or destroys habitat and directly or indirectly modulates the availability of resources to other species, causing physical state changes in biotic or abiotic materials.’

Jones et al. 1994 Oikos

Aquatic invasives that function in this manner will alter

water chemistry and quality (WQ)

Carp exclusion zone in

Lake Wingra, WI

No Carp (or waves)

Carp

Invasive common carp, ecological engineering

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS): A big threat to MN aquatic habitat and water quality

Mississippi River (140 species) • 18 plants • 3 microorganisms • 4 crustaceans • 5 molluscks • 15 fishes • 1 mammals

WHY? - Inter-connectiveness - Trade - Recreation

Great Lakes Basin (180 species)

1870s: Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

• 1870s: Stocked by US Fish Commission

• Eurasian river fish

• Roots in bottom- liberating plants, sediments

• Destroys water quality and waterfowl habitat

• 1000s of lakes, 100,000s of acres destroyed

- Control being developed (later)

CARP FEEDING: Ecosystem Engineers

Bluegreen Algae

bloom

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decline

Nutrients (P, N)

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Uprooting Plants

1. Actively feeding in the bottom

i. Uprooting plants (cover- zooplankton, fish) -

ii.Taking food from birds and fish

iii. Releasing nutrients from sediments

2. Growing

iv. Releasing nutrients

Loss of cover- zooplankton

Shading

2000: Asian carps (Hypopthalmichthys sp.)

• Introduced for aquaculture

• Chinese river fish

• Planktivorous, feed in open water

• Destroys habitat, human activities

• Moving up the Mississippi

• No practical means of measuring or controlling

Asian carp are Ecosystem Engineers Situation (foodweb) specific:

Complex effects :

1. Decrease in plankton

- Blooms tiny plankton (BG)

Microystsis sp.

- Increased water clarity

2. Increase in benthic nutrients

3. Decrease in O2

4, Decrease in condition of native

fishes

10 microns!

Next: Snakehead (Channa argus)

• Introduced by citizens

• China

• Vicious predators

• Destroys game-fish populations

• No practical means of sampling or controlling

1980s Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

• 1988: Ballast water in Great Lakes

• Caspian Sea

• Filter-feeders, disrupt foodwebs, increase water clarity

• Greatly alters waterways, clogs pipes

• Spreading rapidly in MN

• No practical means of measuring or controlling

Quaga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis)

• 1988: Ballast water in Great Lakes

• Caspian Sea

• Filter-feeders,

• Greatly alters foodwebs, clogs pipes

• No practical means of measuring or controlling

Veneroidea: Ecosystem engineers

Zebra mussels and Water Quality

Strayer et al. 1999. Bioscience

Situation and foodweb specific

Complex

- Increase in benthic N and P

- Decrease in benthic O2-

summer

- Increase in toxins and heavy

metals

- Increase in certain bluegreens

Microcystis sp.

- Increased clarity

1 micron particles filtered!

1870s: Curly Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)

• 1870s: Stocked with carp

• Eurasia

• Heavy vegetative mats, releases nutrients with summer die-off

• Destroys waterfowl habitat

• Few control measures, not practical

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Lessons from failed MN experiments

• We can expect a continuous stream of invaders This is a war (not a battle—no time to lose)

• These species are going to do a lot of damage, the damage is complex and broad (ecosystem-wide), and includes water quality The stakes are very high

• These species are fundamentally different from native species

Conventional approaches to control them do NOT work

• Aquatic environments are especially difficult to work in You cannot even see what you are working with!

Integrated Control of Common Carp, 2005-

Overarching goal:

To develop biologically and economically sound plans for controlling carp in MN lakes over the long term…

The way forward…

1. Prevent introduction

2. Delay invasion

3a. Reduce numbers 3b. Control - poisons - genetic engineering - disease - ecosystem management 4. Eradicate

1. To develop new, reliable, and useful molecular tests and monitoring programs

• Develop superior tests for species of immediate local concern

- Common carp, silver carp, zebra mussel

- eDNA, pheromones, other

• Quickly validate these tests

• Interpret these tests

2. To develop new deterrence techniques

• New, affordable barrier systems optimized for local species - Common carp, silver carp

- Bubble curtains, light, velocity w and w/o barrier

large rivers (ex. Minnesota River)

tributaries (ex. creeks leading into Minnesota)

• Evaluate efficiency of these systems (SAFL) Barrier Results - Downstream

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Experimental Air Barrier (Maplewood)

3. To develop new control techniques

3a. Zebra mussel physiology, biology and control 3b. Invasive fish ecology and control 3c. Invasive fish behavior and physiology 3d. Invasive plants

• Search for Achilles heel

• New faculty expertise

• Cutting-edge advice and help for DNR

3a. Zebra mussel physiology, biology and control

• Integrated pest management:

• Search for natural controls for Asian carp

• Further development/ application of common carp strategy

• New faculty expertise

• Expert advise and help for DNR, watershed districts, lake associations

3b. Invasive fish ecology and control

• Integrated pest management:

• Search for behavioral attracts and repellents for Asian and common carp

• Judas fish and robotic tracking

• Further development and application of common carp

• Cutting-edge advise and help for DNR

3c. Invasive fish behavior, physiology and control

• Integrated Pest Management

• Search for predators and control

• Further development and application of IPM control plants

• Cutting-edge advise and help for DNR

3d. Invasive plant control

Eurasian Watermilfoil

Milfoil Weevil (Euhrychiopsis lecontei)

4. Develop eradication techniques

• Search for species-specific viruses via international networks

• New faculty and facility (Vet School)

• Protection from exotic viruses

• Expert advise and help for DNR

5. Perfect sampling and treatment protocols

• Perfect application protocols through statistics

• Expert advice and help for DNR

5. Information and technology transfer

• New position and expertise

• Transfer and testing of new expertise

• Expert advise and help for watershed districts, lakeshore associations, DNR, etc.

Budget

Startup $2,000,000 (new labs, equipment and refurbishing)

Operations ($1,990,000/yr x 8)

1.Monitoring $294,000

2.Deterrence $258,000

3.Control $940,000

4.Eradication $290,000

5.Statistical guidance $77,000

6.Extension $129,000

Carp vs Submerged Plants

y = 67.309e-0.007x R² = 0.8242

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Options for Sustainable Control

1. Do nothing (and hope it goes away) 2. Commercialize removal 3. Poison 4. Augment native predators 5. Large scale, non-targeted removal

6. Targeted removal 7. Spawning sabotage (eggs or sterile male) 8. Targeted biocides 9. Augment native pathogens

10. Introduce exotic parasites (classical bio-control) 11. Introduce exotic predator 12. Genetic manipulation of pest 13. Introduce exotic diseases 14. Introduce genetically modified predator 15. Introduce genetically engineered diseases

Incre

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Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Invasive Animals

Cooperative Research

Centre (IA CRC)

Organisational Structure

• Partnership of around 40 Australian and international

natural resource management agencies, universities,

research organisations and industry stakeholders.

• Core funding from Australian Federal Government with

cash and in-kind contributions from partners

• Exploring genetic and pathogen control of aquatic

invasives with a 10 year horizon and $40,000,000

800 0 800 1600 Miles

N

EW

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1900’s: Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)

- Aquarium trade

- Europe

- Destroys shallow ecosystems/habitat

- Can be controlled with poison/cutting

BUT $100,000/lake per year to control

Water clarity 2011 Season and lake effects:

• Springtime clarity was good to very good (Riley and Susan) in all lakes except Staring

• Summertime clarity was poor in all lakes except Ann

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1990s: Pterois volitans

1990s appeared in the Caribbean

Indo-Pacific teleost fish

Voracious and poisonous predators

Aquarium fish?

Spreading rapidly:

Bahamas to North Carolina

Fishing Derbies

Invasive Species an alien [nonnative / exotic / introduced] species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health

(Executive Order 13112)