The term "aquatic nuisance species" is relatively contemporary, but some of the organisms to which the definition applies have existed in North Dakota for a long time.
While over the last several years we've learned about new arrivals like curly leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil, the common carp has been around for a century or so.
Carp were likely never purposely introduced in North Dakota, but they got here anyway after they were stocked in Minnesota and other states in the latter 1800s as a potential new sport and food fish. The experiment, however, got out of hand and carp eventually became firmly established in many of the country's major watersheds, including the Missouri and Red in North Dakota. Most recently, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department continues with temporary efforts to limit the potential movement of carp from the Red River watershed into the Devils Lake basin.
What makes carp so threatening is their destructive and competitive nature. In small lakes, they can almost completely eliminate a sport fishery. In a large bodies of water they can significantly reduce potential.
Biologists have long recognized the potential problems posed by unintentional introduction or movement of ANS. Until recently, most educational and regulatory efforts related to movement of fish species like carp, white sucker and bullhead.
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Beginning several years ago, the agency started asking for voluntary assistance in minimizing transfer of plants, by asking boaters and anglers to remove vegetation from boats and trailers when leaving a body of water. Two years ago the state took another step toward limiting the potential for introduction and transfer of ANS by establishing laws to mandate removal of vegetation and draining of water. The intent was to emphasize the importance of following needed precautions to protect our resources.
Most people now realize it's illegal to have any vegetation dangling from your boat or other watercraft, motor, or trailer when leaving a lake. Same goes for fishing or other equipment. For instance, when you're pulling out of an access area headed for home or another location, you must not have any aquatic vegetation with you -- that includes hanging from fishing lures or hidden in bait containers.
Boats must also be drained of water in bilges and livewells, and bait containers must also be free of water. The only exception has been that livewells or bait containers can hold water if they have live fish or aquatic bait in them. Game and Fish is proposing to change that rule and has held an administrative public hearing and taken public comments. If approved by the state's Legislative Rules Committee, sometime this summer anglers could no longer transport fish in livewells/baitwells with water, or transport aquatic bait in containers capable of holding more than five gallons of water.
All boats and other watercraft and equipment coming into North Dakota must not contain any water, and no live aquatic bait can be brought in from another state.
The mobile modern-day angler and boater can easily fish is several states in just a few days. Along the way, ANS can hitchhike in or on boats, trailers, livewells and even vehicle axles. Hopefully these procedures will evolve to become standard practice, not because they are laws, but because anglers and boaters embrace them as safeguards to protect the state's aquatic resources.
-- Leier is a NDGF biologist. E-mail him at dleier@nd.gov and read his blog at www. areavoices.com/dougleier.
