Aquatic Nuisance Species
More than 160 non-native species have entered the Great Lakes. Of these, some 10 percent are considered nuisance species due to their damaging impact. Zebra mussels, round gobies, sea lamprey, Eurasian watermilfoil and purple loosestrife are among the most invasive organisms, permanently altering the Great Lakes aquatic ecosystem.

Michigan Sea Grant engages researchers, resource agencies, educators,
the media and citizens in understanding and reducing the impact of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and preventing future invasions.

Purple Loosestrife Project
Purple loosestrife is a flowering wetland plant that dominates native vegetation and reduces food and habitat for wildlife. In 1997, Michigan Sea Grant Extension partnered with entomologists at Michigan State University to develop the Purple Loosestrife Project, an innovative biological control program that engages Michigan citizens in reducing purple loosestrife.

By raising and releasing the plant’s natural enemy—Galerucella beetles—students, teachers and naturalists around the state help restore the biodiversity of Michigan’s wetlands. More than 200 trained “cooperators,” many of them K-12 teachers and their students, participated in the Purple Loosestrife Project in 2002, releasing beetles at more than 100 sites around Michigan. Significant reduction of the aggressive plant has occurred in the majority of closely monitored locations, notably in the Saginaw Bay and Lake St. Clair regions.

The project’s Purple Pages web site, redesigned in 2002, receives more than 10,000 visitors per month, ranking it among the most popular sections on the program web site. (See: www.miseagrant.umich.edu/pp)

Zebra Mussel Citizen Monitoring
Lakefront property owners play an important role in tracking the spread of zebra mussels in Michigan’s inland lakes. Citizen monitors discovered new populations of zebra mussels in 11 lakes in 2002, bringing the total number
of colonized lakes to 177. The reports increase scientists’ knowledge of how invading organisms spread. Michigan Sea Grant, in cooperation with the Michigan Lake and Stream Associations, maintains a record of inland lakes monitored and confirmed infestations.

Economics of ANS Management
Researchers, led by Richard Horan at Michigan State University, are investigating and assessing a range of economic methods that may be used
to prevent and control the introduction of aquatic nuisance species. Potential options include economic incentives, technology regulations, market-based systems, education and voluntary programs. Project investigators organized a principle paper session on The Economics of Invasive Species Management for the 2002 meeting of the American Association of Agricultural Economists.

Food-Web Disruption Partnership
Michigan Sea Grant continued its partnership with other Great Lakes Sea Grant programs, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the Great Lakes Fishery Trust to understand Great Lakes food-web disruptions caused by ANS and its impact on our fisheries. (See: www.foodwebdisruption.org)

Spreading the Word About ANS
Michigan educators from around the state participated in the 2002 Exotic Species Day Camp conducted by Michigan Sea Grant Extension. Participants learned about exotic species educational materials and developed classroom activities that introduced students to the causes and impacts of exotic species in the Great Lakes.

A new ANS resource, completed in 2002, features ten of the most invasive aquatic nuisance species in the Great Lakes in a special section of Michigan Sea Grant web site. Michigan Sea Grant Communications developed the educational pages to coincide with a special online edition of Upwellings devoted to the problem of ANS and current research.
(See: www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ans)