Interesting Topic For Discussion

[tench]

Spiny Waterflea found in Lake Champlain this past summer. Input, insight, opinions, points of view. This could drastically change the lake... Lets hear what you think!

[BomoBrown]

How does it travel from lake to lake?  Should we have separate tip ups just for Champlain?

[shiveringjoe]

How does it travel from lake to lake?  Should we have separate tip ups just for Champlain?

I just read a few fact sheets on spiny water fleas and it seems like the eggs (not produced in winter) are super durable and can easily be spread via boats and bilge pumps.  It also seems like the adults mostly or completely die off in the winter. I didn't find anything about them being spread via ice fishing equipment.  It is yet another example of why we need to be very careful moving any gear from lake to lake.

[tracker one]

Asian carp are on the way ,too.I can't see how we can keep water fleas out of places like Lake Bomosseen,reading up on them is a great idea,anyone interested should do so. These people that check your boat at the fishing access areas are a joke,they don't check the cruisers and big sailboats that travel the canals and the St. Lawrence seaway.do they.They seem to just like to bother the fishermen.The state of NY and Vt. have failed miserably in protecting our waters from these invasive pests,including water chestnuts,zebra mussels,alewives,and gobies ,to name but a few.

[tench]

I think this is a very big part of the issue. Fishing boats and trailers are checked, but pleasure boats and sail boats are not in most cases. I think that most smaller bodies of water with fewer launch points check every watercraft and trailer no matter what, or at least it would seem that way.

In most invasive species cases there is an extreme lack of ownership of the issue- nobody wants to see their lake ruined, but they are quick to blame someone else for not doing their part to protect their lake. If enough people start to take the few right steps in one direction, then others will follow, and education/outreach will spread through word of mouth instead of coming down from the "all-knowing yuppie flatlander degree-holding know-it-alls that run fish & wildlife." All it takes though is one bucket of fish from one lake being dumped into another to ruin the ecosystem... There is more in that pail than just crappie or bowfin...

Not trying to start an argument on either side of the issue by any means. I think the problem lies in a lack of funding for education/awareness programs, education, and staffing to carry out such goals as prevention of invasive species introduction and habitat destruction. Constructive debate is the only way to get the ball rolling.

The big thing to worry about specifically for the spiny waterflea in the future is the implications for smaller bodies of water connected to Champlain through direct water routes or human transportation.

[Fish Hard]

The people that "check" your boat at the access I believe are volunteers. Everyone should be checking there own boats over and taking responsibility. This past summer I followed a boat on a trailer down the road that had all kinds of weeds hanging off the trailer. Obviously they didn't check it over too well when they pulled it out of the water...

[Lavman]

Excellent subject tench.

Education and awareness are indeed the cornerstone of mitigating the spread of this invasive.

Here is some good reading on the subject:

http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhikers/crustaceans_spiny_water_flea.php

It is very important to clean your gear when pond or lake hopping to be sure you are not transporting these fleas between bodies of water. 

[hardwatercrazy]

Asian carp are on the way ,too.I can't see how we can keep water fleas out of places like Lake Bomosseen,reading up on them is a great idea,anyone interested should do so. These people that check your boat at the fishing access areas are a joke,they don't check the cruisers and big sailboats that travel the canals and the St. Lawrence seaway.do they.They seem to just like to bother the fishermen.The state of NY and Vt. have failed miserably in protecting our waters from these invasive pests,including water chestnuts,zebra mussels,alewives,and gobies ,to name but a few.

The asian carp are a real game changer.  Hope away is figured out how to control them before you folks get them.

[dirtydraws29]

those carp are crazy

[NEK_VT]

I've heard of people selling carp in southern NH. Can you sell them in VT? Who would buy them and is it legal?

[hardwatercrazy]

If your talking Asian carp I believe you can if you have the proper license.  They have to have to be dead in IL. 

[hardwatercrazy]

Tench..sorry if i got off topic on your post.  Those water fleas i have never heard of sounds like they do damage to the fry fish.  That's not good.  Didn't know there was a native one.  Thanks for the informative post