Text from TPWD news release, condensed by Paula Dittrick, TMNCPC blogmaster. Photos from TMNCPC members Garett Engelhardt and Paula Dittrick
Texans can learn more about invasive species and how to handle them during National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), May 15-22. The NISAW link provides a series of online seminars starting May 17 about dealing with harmful, non-native plants and wildlife.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) invites the public to participate in the NISAW Bioblitz using iNaturalist to report sightings of invasive species in your backyard or in wild spaces. Citizens can learn to identify invasive species on the Texas Invasives website and can learn about aquatic invasive species on TPWD’s Stop Invasives page.
May 15 was designated National Clean, Drain, Dry Day to promote boater behaviors to prevent the spread of invasive species. Invasive species cause costly damage to crops, fisheries, forests and more. Recent estimates suggest the annual cost of invasive species in the U.S. is $219 billion.
TPWD shared five actions Texans can take to help prevent or slow the spread of invasive species:
—Never Dump Your Tank: Don’t dump anything out of an aquarium, whether it’s fish, animals, or plants, into any of Texas’ waterbodies or flush them down the toilet. Whether saltwater or freshwater, there’s a good chance that your aquarium fish, animals, and plants are not native to Texas. If released into the wild, they can introduce diseases, harm native aquatic life, or harm native vegetation and reef systems. Similarly, you should never release any animal that you have purchased as a pet into the wild. Most likely your pet is not a native Texas species and could cause serious harm to our native species and ecosystems. Find more resources on the Don’t Let It Loose website.
–Only Use Native Gulf Shrimp as Bait: Shrimp is a popular choice for fishing bait, but not all shrimp species can be used as bait due to the potential to introduce diseases. While not harmful to humans when eaten, imported shrimp may carry several known viruses or diseases that can be transmitted to native Gulf of Mexico shrimp species and other shellfish such as crabs and crawfish. This could cause considerable harm to Texas ecosystems in both saltwater and freshwater environments. Many of these viruses can survive the freezing process and can be in frozen imported shrimp sold in grocery stores. Never use imported frozen shrimp in Texas waters. Learn more about bait shrimp on the TPWD website.
–Plant Native: When landscaping, it’s important you select plants that are native to your region. Non-native plants can escape cultivation and become invasive and have an impact on water quality, biodiversity, fish and wildlife habitat, wildfire risk, and more.
—Don’t Carry Hitchhikers: You could be carrying invasive species with you and not even know it. Invasive species, like insects and plants, including plant seeds, can hitch a ride on your clothes, shoes, gear, or even in your firewood. You can help stop the spread by removing plants, animals, and mud from clothes, boots, gear, pets and vehicles, cleaning your gear before entering and leaving recreation sites, using only local firewood, and simply staying on designated roads and trails. Learn more on the Play, Clean, Go website.
—Clean, Drain and Dry Your Boat and Gear: Boaters can help keep zebra mussels, giant salvinia, and other invasive species from being moved and harming more lakes by properly cleaning, draining, and drying boats and equipment. Remove plants, mud, and debris from the boat and trailer before leaving the lake, drain all the water from the boat and gear before leaving the lake, and then open compartments once you get home and allow everything to dry completely. If you have stored your boat on the water at a lake with zebra mussels, TWPD has a YouTube video. Before moving a boat to another lake, call TPWD at (512) 389-4848 for guidance on decontamination.