INVASIVE SPECIES INITIATIVES

Aoife Thornton Ph.D.

Zebra Mussel Education Officer

www.alienspecies.ie

Western Region Zebra Mussel Control Initiative &

Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force

Environment Section, Galway County Council.

athornton@galwaycoco.ie

2. Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Task Force

WATER – OUR HERITAGE

Aim: To protect inland waterways from unwanted aquatic invasive species

1. Western Region Zebra Mussel Control Initiative

2 Groups

Case Study 1

Campaign with a long name and a specific aim

ZEBRA MUSSELS

Credit: Dan Minchin

AIM:To stop the spread of Zebra Mussels to lakes within the Western River Basin District (Great Western Lakes in particular)

Loughs Corrib, Mask & Carra

Message also incorporates stopping the spread of aquatic

invasive plant species

Lough Conn

2006

Protecting the

Great Western Lakes

Zebra Mussels - INVASIVE

What are they?• Non-native freshwater shellfish• Thumbnail-sized What are the concerns?• Cause changes to inland

waterway ecology • Cause algal blooms by

consuming harmless plankton and rejecting harmful types – produce microcystins (toxic compounds)

• Block water abstraction pipes & can taint public water supply

• Hosts to other invasive speciesHow can they be exterminated?• Cannot be eradicated from

natural ecosystemsAlgal Blooms

Native Swan Mussel starved to death

Credit: Dan Minchin

Zebra Mussels in Ireland since mid-1990’s

Lough Corrib under threat

BACKGROUND

Galway County Heritage Forum

2004-2008

Action 3.8

‘to protect Lough Corrib…from Zebra

Mussels’

VEHICLE for Action

2004: Awareness – signage and

literature

2005

Education Officer

Expansion

New signs

Branding

Media

Schools

Seminar

Presentations

Talks

Members

• Galway County Heritage Forum • The Heritage Council • Galway County and City Councils• Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Clare

and North Tipperary County Councils• NPWS, OPW, NWRFB, WRFB, SHRFB

and NRFB (information exchange)• Inland Waterways of Ireland • Waterways Ireland• Carra Mask Corrib Water Protection

Group Ltd.• Trout Angling Federation of Ireland (TAFI)• Scientists

ZEBRA MUSSEL AWARENESSThe Basics

• Key message and target audience were identified

Positive Messages

You can help!

Yes invasives cause problems but yes a lot can be done to help or prevent the spread

2. Clean your boat

3. Remove plants

Target Audience

Anglers and boat owners

Finance – the weakest link!

Image: Dan Minchin

Zebra Mussels coating a

chain

Identification of a Funding Mechanism

Without money, there’s a ceiling in the way of progress

•Seed funding was provided by the Heritage Council

•Additional funding is provided by Local Authorities, Regional Fisheries Boards and the National Parks and Wildlife Service

Funding agencies are regularly updated on progress and news.

Money doesn’t grow on trees!

Selling the Message

2004-2006

Original ‘look’

Message

It’s in your hands

X Problem: image was ‘caring’

New Look 2006-

New Look

Character – many uses

‘Nasty’ hitchhiker

Bilingual logo

BRAND IMAGE

To create an identity

To grab attention

To help sell the message about AIS

Sign Design 2004-2006 Sign Design 2006-

•Erected around Great Western Lakes

•Created awareness at waterways

& generated ‘talk’ about Zebra Mussels

Gave a ‘face’ to Zebra Mussels

•Main message was ‘Zebra Mussels will damage this lake’

•Little focus on specific actions

•Message: ‘Leave your boat behind and rent one locally’ and ‘Leave your boat out for 1 month’ etc.

•123 warning signs

•Erected around western waterways and along western bank of River Shannon

•€30,000 provided by the Heritage Council

•Bilingual sign

•Emphasis on action –arrows point to specific areas requiring attention

•New message:

Remove plant life

•Stickers affixed to signs where Zebra Mussels exist

•www.alienspecies.ie

•Fisheries Board contact details

Biodiversity Puppet Show • Puppets are used in an interactive way to explain difficult environmental concepts to school pupils

• Primary Schools

• 2nd-6th Class

• Worksheets

• Topics addressed:

1. Invasive Species

2. Habitats

3. Ecosystems

Partners

Western Region Zebra Mussel Control Initiative,

Planning Section, Galway County Council (Marie Mannion, Heritage Officer

People and Nature Biodiversity Project (Elaine O’Riordan)

Creating Awareness Vs. Effecting ‘Behavioural

Change’

Awareness has been raised amongst anglers and boat-owners through many means (signage, literature, media, Fisheries Boards and clubs)

100% of anglers surveyed in the West were aware of Zebra Mussels (Sorcha O’Brien, 2005)

Effecting behavioural change is the real challenge

Behavioural ChangeThe US Approach

• Use social marketing• Make use of emergence of Corporate Social

Responsibility• Stage agencies engage the private sector and “mix”

their services in a cross-sector manner• Stick approach exists but they tend to concentrate

on the carrot approach because most people want to do ‘the right thing’.

• www.protectyourwaters.net• Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers and Habitattitude

Case Study 2

Tackling the African Weed

Weed Cutting boat and Lagarosiphon major on Lough Corrib

African Curly Leaved Waterweed

Lagarosiphon major in Lough Corrib

•Discovered in 2005

•Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Task Force

•Partners include: Galway County Council, OPW, NPWS, CFB &WRFB

Rinneroon Bay, Lough Corrib, near Oughterard, Co. Galway

•More than 26 acres

PROBLEMS

Impedes the movement of boats

Out-competes native species

Lagarosiphon major (Lough Corrib, January 2007)

No Nasties Pond Project

Aimed at gardeners, garden centre owners, aquarists and landscape owners

Message:

Please do not purchase these plants or dump them into or in the vicinity of watercourses.

Plant non-invasive

species in your garden water feature

instead!

Look for Signs!

Aquatic Invasive Species

Calendar 2007

Awareness is the Key!

Produced by the

Central Fisheries Board (partner organisation of the AIS Task Force)

Over 10,000 copies distributed in Ireland

www.alienspecies.ie

•Map & List of Zebra Mussel infested sites in Ireland

•‘Zebra Mussels and Other Alien Invaders’ newsletter

•Links to other sites

•“Clean your boat” advice to anglers and boat owners

•Brochures and other downloads

SummaryCase Study 1.

Loughs Corrib, Mask, Carra and Melvin are still Zebra Mussel free.

100% of anglers in the West are Zebra Mussel-aware (S. O’Brien, 2005)

Trust has been won from the majority of boat-owners and angling organisations

Initiative has helped to focus attention on AIS nationally

Initiative is identified internationally as a leading contact base in Ireland

PREPARING FOR FUTURE INVASIONS!!!!!!!!

SummaryCase Study 2

• Research trials on Lagarosiphon major were conducted

• New leaflets on Lagarosiphon major and on aquatic invasive plant species plus alternatives

• 2007 Calendar • Media publicity generated (Six-One news and

national and local newspapers)• New link with Western Region Zebra Mussel

Control Initiative• Problem = No Funding to allow continuation

Summary Contd.Key Elements of the Campaigns…

• Bottom-up approach – ‘grass root’ involvement

• All stakeholders are fully engaged

• The LA network is utilised• Limited resources but stretched

effectively• Voluntary members• Elements of campaign have

been evaluated by international experts

THE WAY FORWARD…

Continuation of intensive awareness campaigns

Investigate other options i.e. stick approach????

What’s on the Way?

It’s important to be prepared!

Acknowledgements

Members of the Western Region Zebra Mussel Control Initiative

& The AIS Task Force

The staff of Galway County Council