State moves to keep Champlain free from dangerous invasive

LAKE CHAMPLAIN | In response to an invasive fish that has the potential to damage Lake Champlain's valuable sport fisheries, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Canal Corporation have announced a comprehensive effort, including a new rapid response plan, to combat the potential spread of the species. The round goby was discovered in the Hudson River near Troy in July 2021. Its presence was alarming to conservation groups, because the voracious invasive eats eggs of bass, salmon, walleye and other desirable species that make up the backbone of the Lake Champlain ecology and economy. The state "is working shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners at Canal Corporation to address the threat of round goby and other invasive species to water bodies like Lake Champlain," said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. "We are bolstering current invasive species surveillance education and taking a hard look at the immediate threats posed by these water-borne invaders to implement the most effective strategies that will protect our fisheries, wildlife, and local recreational economies today and into the future." The DEC and Canal Corporation said they will conduct a full evaluation of the potential ecological and economic impacts of aquatic invasive species, including the round goby, to the public, canal users, municipalities, and New York State. Working with partners, the agencies will develop a rapid response plan to take effect before the opening of the Canal system on May 20 to identify appropriate actions if round goby enter the Champlain Canal. Conservation groups have urged the state to keep locks on the canal closed — the most sure-fire way to prevent the round goby's entrance into Lake Champlain — until a permanent solution can be found. Under this scenario, recreational boats would actually be hoisted from one side of the canal doors to the other. "The Canal Corporation is proactively partnering with DEC to ensure the Canal system helps implement any necessary steps, including education and awareness programming, to combat against invasive fish, like the round goby, and other aquatic invasive species, while at the same time ensuring the Canal remains a driver of economic activity and a thriving tourist destination," said Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton said. "As we implement risk reduction strategies along the Champlain Canal this season, we ask users and stakeholders for their patience and encourage them to learn how they can assist in mitigating the spread of aquatic invasive species to ensure the Canal's resiliency for generations to come." Immediate action includes "double draining" at Champlain Canal locks C-7 and C-8, both in Fort Edward, Washington County, and scheduling locking operations to set times to accommodate recreational and commercial vessels. The intent of double draining is to move goby out of the lock and lock approach to prevent upstream migration. The state will also track the fish by sampling water for its DNA and develop additional potential mitigation measures that allow boat passage, and have the potential to be implemented in the next year, such as electric field barriers and air bubblers, and evaluate the effectiveness of these measures. Further, the state will engage in public information campaigns to alert lake and canal users of the risks, and will conduct further research on the behavior and potential damage of the round goby. Conservation groups said they were pleased with the state response. In a statement, The Nature Conservancy thanked the state "for recognizing the need to respond and prevent round goby, a harmful invasive fish, from entering Lake Champlain through the state canal system. The measures announced today will help determine necessary protective action to prevent the round goby from reaching the lake and causing irreversible harm to the local economy, recreation, and native wildlife and fisheries." The round goby reproduces quickly, outcompetes native fish species for food and habitat, eats the young and eggs of other fish, and can transport botulism up the food chain to waterfowl. Eric Howe, Director of the Lake Champlain Basin Program, noted that the canal system isn't the only way the fish might get into the lake. "Round goby may invade Lake Champlain via several different routes, including the Richelieu River in Quebec, bait bucket introductions from the Mohawk River, and now via the Champlain canal," he said. "The Task Force's integrated response includes addressing all potential points of round goby introduction to Lake Champlain, and has identified the Champlain Canal as a very high risk pathway."

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State moves to keep Champlain free from dangerous invasive

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