NEWSROOM
State
Aquatic Invasive Species Plan Approved
April 19, 2006
Gov. Kathleen
Babineaux Blanco has approved the State Management Plan for Aquatic
Invasive Species in Louisiana. The plan was developed by members
of the Louisiana Non-Indigenous Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory
Task Force, representing both state and federal agencies as well
as universities and industry.
The management
plan focuses on exotic aquatic invasive species (AIS) and aquatic
pathways by which new AIS can enter the state and become established.
"Our
goal is to prevent and control the introduction of new nonindigenous
species, control the spread and impact of existing invasive species
and eradicate locally established invasive species wherever possible,"
said Scott Longman, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
biologist and chairman of the Louisiana Aquatic Invasive Species
Council and Task Force.
AIS problems
in the state are well documented and pose a threat to Louisiana
native plants and animals. Species such as hydrilla in Henderson
Lake, St. Martin Parish, water hyacinth in the Atchafalaya Basin,
Asian carp, and zebra mussels in the Mississippi River are among
the better-known AIS that have impacted Louisiana waterways and
cost millions of dollars to address.
The state
plan has been forwarded to the national Aquatic Nuisance Species
Task Force for review. Once approved, the state would then qualify
for additional federal funding opportunities to implement aspects
of the management plan. Funding for the plan's development was
provided by the Environmental Protection Agency-Gulf of Mexico
Program, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program and
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aquatic
Invasive Species Program.
Participants
in development of the state's management plan included: the Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Coast Guard Marine
Safety Office, Louisiana Marine & Motorcycle Trade Association,
Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, the University of New Orleans,
Waterman Steamship Corporation, Center for Bioenvironmental Research,
Board of Commissioners Port of New Orleans, Louisiana Landowners
Association, the LSU AgCenter, the U.S. Geological Survey, Louisiana
Department of Environmental Quality, the Barataria-Terrebonne
National Estuary Program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association, the Louisiana Farmer's
Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana
Chemical Association, the University of Louisiana - Lafayette,
the Office of the Governor, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture
& Forestry, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, Entergy Corporation,
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Louisiana Department
of Health and Hospitals, La. State Representative Wilfred Pierre
and La. State Senator Gerald Theunissen.
For more information
on the aquatic invasive species in the state, visit http://is.cbr.tulane.edu.
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