Local legislator introduces bills to fight aquatic invasive species
The bad news is that inspection crews are turning up illegal live fish and nonnative species across Montana. The good news is no evidence of zebra mussels has yet been found.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park’s aquatic invasive species liaison, Linnaea Schroeer, reported this news in her annual message on FWP’s Aquatic Invasive Species Program.
FWP operated 20 seasonal watercraft inspection stations across the state in 2014, along with roving crews.
Rep. Mark Noland of Bigfork is sponsoring two bills in the Legislature that would increase inspection efforts and help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in Montana. HB 553 is intended to help sustain and expand watercraft inspection stations, improving the state’s ability to catch contaminated boats.
HB 525 would establish a trust fund that will provide long-term funding for watercraft inspections and other projects to prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species.
Both bills passed the house unanimously and have been referred to committee.
More than 34,000 boats were inspected in 2014, and thousands of people were educated about the impacts of invasive species, she said.
The crews uncovered 454 cases of fouled boats or illegal bait or fish. Three boats were carrying mussels, 21 had Eurasian watermilfoil, 16 had curly-leaf pondweed, 182 boats or trailers had other types of vegetation, 93 boats held standing water, and 12 people were caught illegally transporting live fish, she reported.
“The high number of illegal live fish is very troubling to fisheries biologists and wardens as the majority of the people who had these fish were Montana residents and anglers,” Schroeer said. “All anglers, resident or nonresident, should know the regulations for the waters they are fishing, but it is especially worrisome when long-time residents still don’t know that it’s illegal to transport live fish in the western and central districts without a permit from FWP.”
Even more alarming, Schroeer added, is the possibility that these people knew it was illegal but were trying to transplant fish for their own benefit.
“For a long time, people who move fish have been called ‘bucket biologists,’” she said. “But the term really doesn’t describe the damage they are inflicting upon the ecology and uniqueness of the state’s waters.”
Another concern for Schroeer is the number of vehicles pulling boats that don’t stop at inspection stations. The station set up on U.S. 2 in Coram reported 3,522 drive-bys in 2014. Another 4,629 vehicles stopped as required, she said.
“That ratio was the highest in the state, but other stations also reported problematic levels,” she said.
Early detection and monitoring continues to be a focus of the state program. An aquatic plant survey team hired by the state last year surveyed 27 water bodies across Montana and monitored 460 unique sites on 187 different waterbodies, and the Montana AIS Laboratory processed 1,585 samples.
“No new populations of AIS were found by any surveying method by FWP or our monitoring partners, although several species of AIS that were found in previous years continue to pose significant problems,” Schroeer said. “Still, the fact that no veligers (larvae) or adults of zebra or quagga mussels or Asian clams have been detected this year or in previous years is definitely cause for celebration.”
Gov. Steve Bullock announced his selections for a newly formed Montana Invasive Species Advisory Council on March 5. Former Glacier National Park superintendent Chas Cartwright and Flathead National Forest supervisor Chip Weber were appointed to the 12-member council.
The council is charged with advising the governor on a comprehensive science-based program aimed at identifying, preventing, reducing, eliminating and mitigating the impacts of invasive species across Montana.
“Montanans cherish our outdoor recreation and open spaces, and those spaces play a crucial role in our state’s vibrant economy,” Bullock said. “It’s imperative that we do everything we can to protect Montana from the threat of invasive species that disrupt our land, water and native species. None of us want another knapweed infestation spreading across Montana.”
Private citizens and representatives from Trout Unlimited, colleges and universities were joined on the council by officials from federal, state and county agencies. Cartwright is currently a member of the Flathead Basin Commission, which is particularly concerned about preventing zebra mussels from gaining a foothold in the basin.