Category Archives: Lake Champlain

Facts about Lake Champlain

How You Can Prevent Invasive Species Expansion

We’ve examined the vast variety of invasive species that are posing threats to Lake Champlain’s ecosystem. By now you’re wondering , “What can I do to prevent invasive species expansion?”

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What Can You Do?

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Boat Owners:

  • Inspect your boat for zebra mussels

    Inspect your boat

    If you are a boat owner, make sure whenever you move your boat from one body of water to the other that it is free of zebra mussels, one of the most dangerous and invasive of all the species. The larval stage of zebra mussels is microscopic in size so you cannot necessarily see them.

  • Clean your boat off when it has come in contact with infested bodies of water, and give it a good look over. Throw any zebra mussels you find in the trash.
  • Remove all mud, plants, or animals and dispose of on dry land.
  • Drain all bilge water, live wells, bait buckets, and all other water from your boat, engine and equipment.
  • Wash all parts of your fishing gear and boat that have been in contact with water. Do not allow wash water to flow into any body of water or storm sewer.

  • Drain all water from the boat, including the bilge, live well, and engine cooling system. Dry the boat and trailer in the sun for at least five days, or if you use your boat sooner, rinse off the boat, trailer, anchor, anchor line, bumpers, engine, etc. with hot water or at a car wash.

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Anglers:

  • Don’t move fish from one body of water to another.
  • Never release unused bait fish, even in waters where using them is allowed.
  • Never move fish overland, unless they have been certified as being disease-free.
  • Make sure that your boat and equipment are clean and dried before using them in a different waterway.
  • Inspect all parts of your fishing gear, boat, and trailer that have been in contact with water.

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Everyone:

  • Purchase non-invasive plants and fish for your landscapes and aquarium.
  • Don’t release unwanted plants or animals into the wild.
  • When swimming or boating in an area infested with Eurasian water milfoil, try not to break parts off the plant—this is how the plant spreads.

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Additional Infomation:

Invasive Aquatic and Wetland Animals (Invasive Species) by Suellen May
Invasive Aquatic and Wetland Plants (Invasive Species) by Suellen May
Invasion Ecology by Julie Lockwood, Martha Hoopes and Michael Marchetti
Invasive Plants: Guide to Identification and the Impacts and Control of Common North American Species by Sylvan Ramsey Kaufman and Wallace Kaufman

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Other Invasive Threats to Lake Champlain

Other Invasive Threats to Lake Champlain

We’ve looked at fish, mollusks, crayfish and plants that want to make Lake Champlain their home. Here are some other invasive threats to Lake Champlain:.

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  • VHS infected - Hemorrhaged Walleye

    Hemorrhaged Walleye

    VHS: viral hemorrhagic septicemia: an often lethal fish disease affecting many species.  VHS in the Great Lakes drainage has led to significant restrictions on transporting fish between water bodies.  It is so significant that new outbreaks must be reported to the World Health Organization for Animal Health.  The disease transmits easily between fish (both individuals and species) and mortality rates seem to be highest in colder waters (37-54 F).  Because some fish can be carriers of the virus and show no external signs, the actual presence of the disease can only be determined by laboratory testing.

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  • Spiny water flea and fishhook water flea: 

Spiny water flea and fishhook water flea

These two plankton species could drastically disrupt Lake Champlain’s food web. Spiny water flea and fishhook water flea both came from Northeast Europe; they were first noticed in Lake Huron in 1984 and Lake Ontario in 1998. These two species  were most likely released with a ship’s ballast water. In 2008 spiny water flea were found in the Great Sacandaga Lake in New York, just upstream from the feeder for the Champlain Canal.

** Since this article was originally published (June 11, 2012), Spiny Water Fleas have been confirmed in the Champlain Canal  and in Lake George; both of these waterways are linked directly to Lake Champlain. It now (August3, 2012) seems inevitable that Spiny Water Fleas will become established in Lake Champlain, if they haven’t already.

Spiny Waterfleas collect in masses on fishing lines.

Spiny Waterfleas collect in masses on fishing lines.

In addition to competing with the native zoo-plankton, spiny water flea and fishhook water flea are much more difficult for small fish to ingest, and are therefore a poorer food source. The long spines of these species can hook them onto anglers’ lines by the hundreds, making fishing difficult. Eggs and adult water fleas can travel unseen in a boat’s bilge water, bait buckets, and live wells.

Learn to recognize these water-fleas on fishing gear.

Inspect and remove aquatic plants and animals, including gelatinous or cotton batting-like material from lines, especially where they meet a swivel, lure or down-rigger ball connection (plucking like a guitar string helps).

Drain lake or river water from live-well and bilge before leaving access.

Dispose of unwanted live bait and worms in the trash.

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  • Double-crested Cormorants

    Double-crested Cormorants

    Double-crested Cormorants: Cormorants are relative newcomers to Lake Champlain and have since become a concern to wildlife managers. They first nested on Young Island, Vermont, in 1981; then expanded to Four Brothers Islands, New York, by 1984, and peaked at over 20,000 birds by 1999. Population increases were associated with destruction of vegetation and displacement of other birds from nesting colonies of stick nests built high in trees on islands or in patches of flooded timber. .

Gangly Double-crested Cormorants are prehistoric-looking, black fishing birds with yellow-orange facial skin. Though they look like a combination of a goose and a loon, they are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies.

Double-crested Cormorants float low on the surface of water and dive to catch small fish. After fishing, they stand on docks, rocks, and tree limbs with wings spread open to dry. In flight, they often travel in V-shaped flocks that shift and reform as the birds alternate bursts of choppy flapping with short glides..

Obviously, Lake Champlain is a great lake; who could fault these newcomers for wanting to take up residence here? But these invasive species are threats to the health and survival of our native species, and will disrupt the health, recreation and aesthetic enjoyment of Lake Champlain’s human residents. We must protect our lake; so, what can we do…?.

Next: What Can You Do to Protect Lake Champlain? ( Next >> )

Previous: Invasive Invertebrates ( << Previous )

 

Invasive Plants

Plant Invaders

Invasive plants are non-native species that are capable of moving or, more likely, being moved into a habitat and then monopolizing resources such as light, nutrients, water, and space at the expense of and to the detriment of other species. They are more aggressive and successful than native species at dominating the available resources.

Invasive Plants in the Lake Champlain Basin

  • hydrilla

    Hydrilla

    Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata): is a highly aggressive plant. Hydrilla has clogged drainage canals in the southeast and it’s been reported as close as Massachusetts, Maine, and southern New York. Fragments falling from boats, trailers, and live wells can start new populations, which often begin near boat launches.Hydrilla was first introduced to the United States as a popular aquarium plant, which was then accidentally released into the wild in Florida. Hydrilla is capable of completely clogging waterways. Its vertical branches often out-compete native plants, affecting water quality and restricting flow. The widespread growth of this plant has dramatic impacts on recreational uses such as boating, fishing and swimming.Compared to other aquatic plants, Hydrilla grows well in deeper, darker waters and new infestations may establish a foothold there before spreading into shallower waters and out-competing other resident plants..

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EURASIAN MILFOIL

Eurasian Milfoil

  • Eurasian Water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), first discovered in the Basin in 1962, is found in many areas throughout the Lake and Basin. In some areas infestations are severe. Detailed watermilfoil studies have been conducted for many of Lake Champlain’s bays and for 35 other lakes within the Basin, but many areas have little or no study regarding the presence and extent of infestation. Because Eurasian water milfoil is spread by plant fragments transported by waves, wind, currents, people, and to some extent, animals, it is not easily controlled.

 

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  • Variable-leaved Milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum) : Related to Eurasian Water milfoil was found in 2009 in Missisquoi Bay; it too can become a nuisance. Because milfoil spreads by stem pieces, roots and seeds, plant parts can easily hitchhike on recreational equipment if not removed. Boaters are advised to avoid beds of watermilfoil to prevent spreading the plant further. Boaters, anglers and other recreational enthusiasts should take precautions to avoid transporting this and other invasive species to other waters or other parts of Lake Champlain.

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  • Japanese Knotweed

    Japanese Knotweed

    Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) was first introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant in the late 1800’s for its appealing flowers. It was also used for erosion control because of its prolific growth. It has since spread into the wild across the United States, including the Lake Champlain Basin. It spreads by underground rhizomes that easily fragment and spread to other areas. This is a problem especially along stream banks where natural forces contribute to the spread of knotweed.

Japanese knotweed has already altered the natural characteristics of the Lake Champlain Basin. Since it grows early in the season and is very dense, it excludes the growth of native plant species. When dense stands are removed from river banks there can be increased erosion until native plants are able to reestablish themselves.

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  • European Water Chestnut

    European Water Chestnut

    European water chestnut (Trapa natans), first documented in Lake Champlain in the 1940s, displaces other aquatic plant species, is of little food value to wildlife, and forms dense mats that change habitat and interfere with recreational activities. Water chestnut is a fierce competitor in shallow waters with soft, muddy bottoms. Uncontrolled, it creates nearly impenetrable mats across wide areas of water. In South Lake Champlain, many previously often fished bays are now inaccessible and floating mats of chestnut can create a hazard for boaters. This noxious plant also blocks light into the water, a critical element of a well-functioning aquatic ecosystem, reduces oxygen levels which may increase the potential for fish kills.

Submersed leaves are feather-like; each leaf is divided into segments that are whorled around the leaf stem. White flowers form in the axils of the surfacing leaves in July. Fruit are nut-like and “woody” with typically four sharp, barbed spines. Long cord-like rarely branching stems can attain lengths of up to 16 feet. Water chestnut grows in freshwater lakes and ponds and slow moving streams and rivers. It prefers calm, shallow, nutrient-rich waters.

  • Invasive Plants Didymo

    Didymo or ‘Rock Snot’

    Didymo: Didymosphenia geminata, commonly referred to as “didymo” or “rock snot” is a freshwater algae. Native distribution of the species includes cool temperate regions of Northern Europe and Northern North America. While not much of a threat to Lake Champlain itself, didymo may pose a threat to rivers and streams because it can form dense mats in stream beds. Scientific studies conducted around the world have yet to show that didymo has significant impacts to salmon and trout.

    Didymo attaches to the streambed by a stalk. It has a rough texture similar to wet wool and mimics strands of toilet paper, as opposed to other species of algae which feel slimier.

    Didymo can be accidentally spread by people using rivers, as its microscopic cells can cling to boats, waders, fishing gear, sandals, and anything else that comes in contact with water. Gear must be dried for a minimum of 48 hours or cleaned with a bleach solution to get rid of the algae.

 

What else poses a threat to Lake Champlain’s ecosystem?

Next: Are There Other Invasive Threats to Lake Champlain? ( Next >> )

Previous:  Invasive Invertebrates ( << Previous )

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Invasive Invertebrates

Invasive Invertebrates

 

These invaders are trying to ‘mussel’ and claw their way into Lake Champlain. Some have already established themselves, and we can only hope to contain their spread.

  • Invasive Invertebrates Quagga Mussels
    Quagga Mussels

    Quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) are a nonnative nuisance species native to the Caspian Sea area. First introduced to the Great Lakes in 1989, they can now be found throughout the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and in a few inland water bodies in New York. They threaten the Lake Champlain Basin by having the potential to cause many of the same problems that have resulted from zebra mussels.

A close relative to the zebra mussel, scientists believe that it poses a greater threat. Quagga mussels are able to colonize a wider variety of lake bottom surfaces than zebra mussels and have a greater range of tolerance to temperatures, depth and other environmental conditions. In the Great Lakes, quagga mussels are already out-competing and replacing zebra mussel populations, but in greater numbers, resulting in greater negative impacts.

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  • Invasive Invertebrates Asian Clam
    The Asian Clam

    The Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) was first found in the Lake Champlain Basin in August 2010. This bivalve is native to tropical areas in Asia, the eastern Mediterranean, and Australia. Their shells are brown or yellow-green with thick concentric rings on the outside and smooth with a purple tinge on the inside. They are generally smaller than a penny in diameter, but can reach sizes of up to 5cm. Unlike zebra mussels, which hitchhike on boat hulls and colonize on other hard surfaces, the clams prefer open, sandy areas with limited plant growth. They can form thick mats.

The Asian clam is a filter feeder that excretes fecal matter into the water. Research suggests the clams are associated with algal blooms and their presence may change the water chemistry, possibly providing a calcium-rich breeding ground for other potential invasive species such as zebra or quagga mussels. The Asian clam crowds out native species and reduces biodiversity on the lake bottom. Asian clams can clog water intake systems of boats, homes, industry, and municipalities.

..Invasive Invertebrates Zebra Mussels

Zebra mussels take over spawning habitats for Lake Trout, Smelt, and other fish. They consume microscopic plants and animals in large quantities, in competition with juvenile fish and native mussels. This also has the effect of increasing water clarity, which has some benefits, but can aid the spread of invasive plants to deeper areas of the lake. Zebra mussels have begun to kill many of Lake Champlain’s native mussels by attaching to their shells, preventing them from opening to feed and respire. Seven mussel species native only to the Basin are now severely threatened.

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  • Invasive Invertebrates Rusty Crayfish

    Rusty Crayfish

    The rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus)  a species native to Ohio and Tennessee that is  rapidly spreading to many other parts the country including New York and all New England states, except Rhode Island. They have been found in Lake Carmi and were spotted in the lower Winooski River in 2005. Rusty crayfish typically displace or hybridize with native crayfish populations and opportunistically prey on native plants, benthic invertebrates, fish eggs, and small fish. Their aggressive predation of native species decreases diversity, destroys habitat and has an overall negative impact on many aquatic ecosystems. They also may spread Eurasian watermilfoil by fragmenting the plants and defoliating native flora clearing the way for further milfoil infestation.

 

We’ve looked at the invasive invertebrates that threaten Lake Champlain; what about invasive plants?

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Next:   What About Invasive Plants? ( Next >>)

Previous: Invasive Fish Species ( << Previous)

 

Invasive Fish Species

Fish Invaders

Lake Champlain’s Invasive Fish Species

 

Let’s begin with a look at some of the invasive fish species that are threatening Lake Champlain and its native ecosystem. .

 

Round goby: lake Champlain invasive fish - Round Goby(Neogobius melanostomus) Native to the Caspian and Black Sea regions, Gobies were probably introduced to the Great Lakes from a ship’s discharged ballast water in the 1980’s. They are bottom-dwellers perching on rocks and substrate. They grow up to ten inches long and have large heads, soft bodies and dorsal fins lacking spines. Often confused with sculpins, the round goby is distinguished by its fused pelvic (bottom) fin which forms a suction disk that allows them to anchor to the bottom. No native North American fish has this feature.

Round gobies are predators of many native fish such as darters, sculpins, and logperch; this has led to serious declines in populations of some of these native species in other areas. Gobies also eat eggs and fry of lake trout, and eggs of lake sturgeon. They have been implicated in major bird die-offs in the Great Lakes because they can harbor the bacterium that causes avian botulism; this bacteria is then transmitted to the birds that have eaten the Gobies.

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Lake Champlain Invasive fish - Ruffe

The Eurasian Ruffe: (Gymnocephalus cernuus) is a nonnative nuisance fish threatening the ecosystem and sport fish population of Lake Champlain. First found in Lake Superior in 1986, the ruffe has since expanded its population and range considerably. It is a perch-like fish native to Eurasia that usually grows no bigger than six inches.

Ruffe impact native species and sport fish populations by eating their eggs and competing for food and habitat.  Since they mature quickly, they are highly competitive, have high reproductive potential, and are adaptable to a wide variety of habitats.

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Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) were confirmed in Lake Champlain in 2003. In 2008, widespread alewife die-offs occurred in the Lake, confirming that large numbers are now present. Although alewives do undergo periodic mass mortality events, the specific cause of the Lake Champlain die-off is unclear.

Lake Champlain invasive fish alewife

The alewife is a marine fish species from the herring family. Native populations of this fish inhabit the Atlantic Ocean. Each spring, adult alewives migrate into freshwater rivers to spawn. The young hatch in the rivers, reside there for the summer, and then migrate out to sea in early fall where they mature as adults. Alewives can, however, survive in freshwater. Alewife populations have become established in Great Lakes and many landlocked lakes in New York, Maine, Connecticut, and other New England states.

Alewife threaten the native species of Lake Champlain by altering zooplankton communities, competing with other fish for food, and feeding on native fish eggs and larvae. They also pose a threat to Lake Trout and Atlantic salmon who can experience reproductive failure when feeding on an alewife diet due to a severe vitamin B deficiency. Biologists are concerned that the establishment of this exotic fish species in the Lake and other Basin waters could prove to be a major threat to native forage and game fish populations.

 

Tench: (Tinca tinca), Invasive fish of Lake Champlain - Tenchoriginally from Germany, was first caught and identified on the Great Chazy in New York in May 2002. Similar to carp, tench live on lake or river bottoms. They are a slimy, slow moving carnivorous member of the minnow family that prefer shallow water and weedy areas where they feed on invertebrates. It is not known how the tench found its way to the Great Chazy, although the Richelieu River already has a viable tench population.

The tench has a tendency to cloud the water where it lives by stirring up the bottom sediments. These fine sediments can suffocate the eggs and newly hatched fish of native species such as pike, perch or crappie.

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White PerchLake Champlain Invasive fish: White Perch: (Morone americana)  are a relatively new non-native invasive species of increasing concern in the Lake. In 2003, Quebec researchers found that white perch far outnumber native perch in Missisquoi Bay and are now that Bay’s most abundant fish. They may displace native perch by feeding on their larvae and compete for zooplankton which can lead to an increase in algal growth. White perch are also known to prey on walleye eggs along with white crappy, which has contributed to the significant decline in the walleye population.

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Next we’ll look at some of the invasive invertebrates trying to ‘mussel’ and claw their way into Lake Champlain.

Next: Invasive Invertebrate Threats to Lake Champlain ( Next >> )

Previous: Invasive Species ( << Previous )