Preventing an Invasion Aquatic Nuisance Species
Above: The Northern snakehead fish, native to Russia, China and Korea, has been found in Georgia waters. Inset: A close-up of the snakehead's mouth. Images provided by GADNR
HOW DO THEY GET HERE?
By Melissa Cummings Communications and Outreach Specialist GADNR Wildlife Resources Division
ANS can arrive by several means, including: • Vessel: If a boater visits a body of water inhabited by an ANS (could be in your home state or further afield), and that plant or critter attaches to their boat (hull, motor, boat trailer, etc.) and the boat owner does not properly clean the vessel and trailer before it goes into a different water body – the species can potentially spread. • Negligent aquarium owners: When aquarium owners “dump” plants and fish into Georgia waters. • Illegal stockings: Anglers or others moving a species from one water body into another.
WHAT ARE AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES? Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) are organisms that disrupt the ecological stability of inland waters (rivers and lakes), estuarine or marine waters, and may also cause economic loss in areas where they are introduced. 12
Southern Tides Magazine February 2022
