New York Sea Grant (NYSG) with Great Lakes and marine district offices, is among the largest of 33 university programs stemmed from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's NationalSea Grant College Program— with a breadth reaching to every U.S. coastal and Great Lakes state, Guam and Puerto Rico.
NYSG is a federal and state funded research and extension network dedicated to maintaining the environmental quality of coastal and aquatic ecosystems by providing university-based scientific research, education and community outreach programs.
NYSG is a cooperative program through the State University of New York (SUNY) and Cornell University. Currently, NYSG is funding 20 research and outreach projects focused on preserving New York State's aquatic natural resources (nyseagrant.edu). The NYSG supports research projects that focus on important environmental issues that affect aquatic ecosystems. Unbiased scientific techniques and peer-reviewed processes are used to conduct research through the NYSG. To see the current research NYSG is funding visit: is http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/articles/t/research-nysg-funded-projects.
NYSG Extension provides outreach to various coastal stakeholders. One outreach program currently under way is the NYSG Launch Steward Program that provides outreach to boaters and teaches them how to prevent the spread of unwanted aquatic hitchhikers, including Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS). AIS are non-native aquatic species that can cause harm to the environment, the economy or human health. Once AIS have become established in an ecosystem, they are difficult and expensive to manage. AIS can degrade boating and fishing areas and reduce tourism and lakeshore property value—negatively impacting the local economy.
How have AIS Spread into NY's Waters?
Many AIS were introduced into the Great Lakes in the late 1950’s due to the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and canal system, which allowed oceanic ships to travel into the Great Lakes. To maintain navigational stability, these large ships fill their ballast tanks with millions of gallons of water, known as ballast water.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency identifies ballast water as a significant source of the AIS introduction in the Great Lakes. As the ships travel on their voyages, they take on and dump ballast water as needed for navigation, potentially sucking up and releasing AIS.
Once AIS were introduced to the Great Lakes, some had the ability to spread quickly by hitchhiking on watercrafts, in bilge and live well water, fishing and diving gear, and through animal activities. More than 180 different AIS have been introduced to the Great Lakes. Some of the most prevalent species that have been introduced are sea lampreys, zebra mussels, spiny waterfleas, round gobys,alewives, Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife, curly-leaf pondweed and European water chestnuts.
Since these species are highly competitive and have the potential to cause environmental and economic problems, they have become a targeted focus of the NYSG Launch Steward Program’s outreach efforts.
What is the NYSG Launch Steward Program?
To increase boaters’ awareness, the NYSG Launch Stewards are stationed at boat launches along the southern and eastern shores of Lake Ontario, including tributaries and embayments, and along the southern shore of Oneida Lake. Launch Stewards offer boaters the voluntary opportunity to learn how to conduct watercraft inspections by looking for, removing, and disposing of AIS and other aquatic hitchhiking debris that may have attached to boats, trailers, and other equipment.
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| NYSG Launch Steward Brittney Rogers removes Curly-leaf pondweed, an AIS, from a boat trailer at Henderson Harbor, NY. Photo by: 2013 NYSG Launch Steward, Megan Pistolese |
By reaching out to the boating community and teaching people how to stop the spread of AIS, Launch Stewards encourage the public to do their part to protect New York’s valuable waters. As part of AIS prevention, the NYSG Launch Steward Program has adopted the national Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers campaign by explaining how important it is to “Clean, Drain and Dry” motorized and non-motorized watercrafts and other equipment before leaving and entering water bodies. This is a simple message that will inform boat owners about how they can stop the spread of AIS and improve aquatic ecosystems. Educational outreach programs, such as this, help community members understand the delicate balance that exists within an ecosystem and how human activities can help or destroy that balance.
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| NYSG Launch Steward Megan Pistolese talks to a father and son about how to stop aquatic hitchhikers. Photo by: NYSG Launch Steward, Brittney Rogers. |
Do your part and protect our beautiful waters and Clean, Drain, and Dry your watercraft!
This post was written by: 2013 NYSG Launch Steward, Megan Pistolese.
Launching of Steward Program is really appreciable and would be helpful for the boaters to foreclose the spread of AIS (aquatic invasive species). Cheers.
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