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Early detection and monitoring for aquatic invasive species in Lake Superior
Citation:
Myers, J., M. Seider, M. Brouder, A. Trebitz, AND J. Hoffman. Early detection and monitoring for aquatic invasive species in Lake Superior. State of Lake Superior Conference, Houghton, MI, October 09 - 12, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Complete prevention of new species introductions, along with containment and reduction of non-native nuisance species that are already present, is a challenging goal for the Great Lakes required under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. To evaluate the effectiveness of the current regulatory framework for aquatic nuisance species, federal, state, provincial, and tribal natural resource agencies worked together to implement early detection and monitoring programs at eight locations across Lake Superior. This talk will present a review of progress to date, and identify areas where new DNA-based technologies are improving survey accuracy.
Description:
Complete prevention of new species introductions, along with containment and reduction of non-native nuisance species that are already present, is a challenging but appropriate goal for Lake Superior. To evaluate the effectiveness of the current regulatory framework for aquatic nuisance species, federal, state, provincial, and tribal natural resource agencies worked together to implement early detection and monitoring programs at eight locations across Lake Superior. Early detection surveys have typically relied on deployment of traditional sampling gears and taxonomic identification using physical characteristics. However, DNA-based identification approaches have been the subject of experimentation in the Port of Duluth-Superior (DNA metabarcoding of ichthyoplankton samples; eDNA metabarcoding for fish detection) and Apostle Islands (DNA metabarcoding of zooplankton samples) and could lead to improved survey accuracy moving forward. Continuing to adhere to an adaptive approach for early detection will ensure the delivery of a program that is responsive, transparent, efficient, and effective.