Thursday, April 05, 2001907 Volume 18, Issue 13
Park weighs live bait ban, other steps to fight spiny waterflea's spread
By Tom Klein
Live bait may be temporarily banned from Voyageurs National Park?s interior lakes to prevent the spread of spiny waterfleas, an exotic species that could threaten the park?s aquatic ecosystem and fishing by competing with native fish for food and fouling fishing gear.
The park may also prohibit floatplane landings and private watercraft on its 25 interior lakes on the Kabetogama Peninsula. The park has about 20 canoes and rowboats that would be available for use on the interior lakes.
Restrictions would likely take effect by May 12. Public input on the proposed actions is being invited through April 30.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has already designated Rainy Lake, Rainy River, Namakan Lake and Lake of the Woods as infested waters, and has confirmed the presence of spiny waterfleas in Crane Lake. The DNR and park expect to find the spiny waterflea in Kabetogama and Sand Point Lake since these waters are connected to infested waters.
Research has shown that spiny waterfleas, native to Eurasia, can change the community composition of zooplankton and compete directly with juvenile yellow perch and other small fish and minnows for food which could lead to a decrease in the abundance of these fish.
As a result, this could alter the food web. For instance, yellow perch are an important part of the diet of walleye, so a decrease in yellow perch abundance could hurt walleye growth.
Spiny waterfleas are spread when either live adult waterfleas or viable resting eggs are transferred to a new body of water. Spiny waterfleas can be transported on bait buckets, anchor ropes, fishing line, boats, waders and nets. The bottom line is that any gear that enters infested water and is transferred to another lake or river without being thoroughly dried (12-48 hours) or washed with hot water (above 140? Fahrenheit) can transfer spiny waterfleas.
The National Park Service and DNR are working in concert to develop an extensive monitoring program and to develop best management practices to prevent the spread of the spiny waterflea and other exotic species. For example, the park immediately stopped all use of the floatplane for monitoring efforts on the interior lakes, and crews carefully dried equipment or used a separate set of research gear on the interior lakes when the spiny waterflea was discovered in Rainy Lake.
In addition to the proposed restrictions on interior lakes, the park will:
?Monitor and research the invasion to determine the extent of its spread and to understand the impacts on aquatic systems.
?Educate the public about exotics to increase awareness.
?Implement Best Management Practices for staff, park partners and others to limit the potential for spread to uninfested waters.
Public comments on the park?s proposed restrictions can be posted on the project website at
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/voya or mailed to Voyageurs National Park, 3131 Highway 53, International Falls, MN 56649. Copies of the complete proposal can be viewed at the park website at
www.nps.gov/voya or at park headquarters.
The park will conduct a program about the spiny waterflea and the park?s proposal for any interested party or organization. To schedule a program, call Kathleen Przybylski at (218) 283-9821 or e-mail Kathleen_Przybyl-ski@nps.gov.
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