Help for NIS Control

Invasive Species

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Help for NIS Control

Biannual meetings held by two regional panels provide opportunities for individuals in the Southeast to learn about invasive species and to work together for their prevention and control.

  • Louisiana Sea Grant is a member of the Gulf and South Atlantic Regional Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species. LSG serves on the panel’s steering committee, its education and outreach work group, and its pathways and prevention work group. This panel has almost completed a regional early detection and rapid response plan that will help Louisiana develop one for the state.
  • Louisiana Sea Grant is a member of the Mississippi River Basin Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species. LSG serves on the panel’s education and communications committee. The panel maintains information on the most troublesome aquatic invasive species in the Mississippi Basin. It has produced publications on the pathway associated with the Chicago Ship Channel that has permitted invasive species to migrate to and from the Great Lakes into the Mississippi River, and on some of the possible invasive problems associated with Asian carp species.

Federal Help for NIS Control in the Southeast

Because invasive species can wreak havoc on elements of the country’s economy and health, the federal government takes an active interest in the prevention and control of them. Representatives of the the president’s cabinet, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency participate in two major federal organizations dedicated towards NIS prevention and control. Over the years, Louisiana Sea Grant has participated in committees and task forces created for specific purposes by these two major organizations.

  • The National Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force leads in the prevention and control of aquatic invasive species. It provides guidance for states in developing invasive species management strategies, and sponsors research and outreach about specific invasive species or transportation pathways. It is also a source of funding for invasive species management. The regional panels are official committees of one of these federal organizations, the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. Louisiana Sea Grant’s participation in the Gulf and South Atlantic, and the Mississippi River Basin regional panels also represents participation in the federal efforts to control NIS.
  • The National Invasive Species Council is implementing the national invasive species management plan. It coordinates efforts of all government agencies to prevent and control invasions by both aquatic and terrestrial NIS.

Louisiana Sea Grant also participates in two federal education programs to reduce the spread of aquatic NIS.

  • Protect Your Waters helps citizens of all types take precautions to prevent the spread of aquatic NIS.
  • Habitattitude is an educational effort targeting those in the pet, aquarium and watergarden industries and citizens with pets and watergardens.