Since wrapping up with aquatic surveys last month, October has almost solely been focused on report writing for the Aquatic Invasives Strike Force crew, where they finally were able to truly visualize their accomplishments! The crew analyzed their data, created maps, and provided management recommendations for stakeholders based on what invasive species were found. In total, the AISF conducted 40 surveys in 30 waterbodies, recording over 1,700 observations of presence, absence, and species density data points. They also removed almost 121,000 water chestnut plants (an estimated 19,000 pounds of biomass!) as a part of their management program. Now that's some muscle! To prevent the spread of AIS, the crew also participated in the Watercraft Inspection Steward Program, educating over 800 boaters and anglers while performing just under 500 voluntary inspections. The crew can’t stay dry for long though, and they still managed to get out in the field a few more times for some critical AIS monitoring efforts. While cooling temperatures may not be ideal for plant sampling, the crew spent multiple days on the water, this time looking for invasive fish and invertebrates. Crew members assisted with a NYSDEC electrofishing survey on the hunt for Northern snakehead (Channa argus) and caught one, along with observations of other invasive fish like common carp, goldfish, and mirror carp, a subspecies of common carp. The team also continued the Lower Hudson PRISM effort to monitor the distribution of the bloody red shrimp (Hemimysis anomala). They set light traps overnight at three different sites along the Hudson River to try and capture the species during their preferred feeding time and after migrating up out of rocky cover and into open water. The crew also conducted several plankton tows at the sites, and no bloody red shrimp were observed. The AISF Crew had an incredible season and made a significant impact on the management of AIS throughout the region through their monitoring, treatment, and education efforts.
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