Canals bring more than boats into Lake Champlain
Ann Arbor, MI — Lake Champlain may not be a Great Lake, but its small size has provided the lake with some degree of protection from invasion by exotic species.
To date, 49 exotic species have become established in the waters of Lake Champlain – less than a third of the number in the Great Lakes. These species, which include well-known 'nasties' such as zebra mussels, water milfoil, and water chestnut, have entered the lake by several routes deliberate stocking, horticulture and aquaculture escapes, bait fish releases, and even deliberate but unauthorized introductions. But Lake Champlain has very little commercial shipping, which has been a major source of invasions in the Great Lakes.
A recent study by University of Vermont researcher Ellen Marsden and her colleague Michael Hauser indicates that the largest single route of invasion is the canals that link Lake Champlain to the Hudson and Mohawk rivers in the south, and the Richelieu River in the north. They estimate that at least 40% of all invasive species entered the lake through the canals.
But, the invasions are not over yet. Several species are poised at points near and even in the canals, with unobstructed access to Lake Champlain. The Lake Champlain Basin Program and the New York State Canal Corporation are currently working in partnership to find a way to slow the spread of invasive species through the Champlain Canal.
"The work of Marsden and Hauser is fundamental and timely, given the current invasive species threats to Lake Champlain," according to Mark Malchoff, an invasive species and fisheries specialist with Lake Champlain Sea Grant's office at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh. Malchoff noted that the "study includes the most comprehensive list yet of aquatic invasive species in the lake, and highlights the various pathways that most concern educators and managers tasked with invasive species spread prevention."
Malchoff further noted that "several species (e.g. quagga mussel, spiny waterflea, and round goby) which have impacted the Great Lakes remain absent from Lake Champlain. Hopefully managers can take some lessons from the current list, and develop strategies to keep the newer threats at bay."
Original Publication Information
Results of this study, "Exotic species in Lake Champlain," are reported by J. Ellen Marsden and Michael Hauser in the latest issue (Volume 35, No. 2, pp. 250-265) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by Elsevier, 2009.
Contacts
For more information about the study, contact Ellen Marsden, 81 Carrigan Dr., University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, ellen.marsden@uvm.edu, (802) 656-0684.
For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; jglr@ec.gc.ca; (306) 975-5310.
Since 1967, IAGLR has served as the focal point for compiling and disseminating multidisciplinary knowledge on North America's Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world and their watersheds. In part, IAGLR communicates this knowledge through publication of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, available to members in print and electronic form. A searchable archive of the journal is available online and includes the abstracts of articles from the journal's inception in 1975 through the most recent issue. In addition, complete articles are available to members who have signed up for an electronic subscription.