Tenacious Trespasser #1: Didymo

They secretly slither, swim, hitchhike and crawl their way, often traveling thousands of miles over land and sea to invade our local rivers, lakes and streams.  Once they make themselves at home, these pesky invaders wreak havoc on the aquatic ecosystem and local economy.  Yes folks, we are talking about Aquatic Nuisance Species.  In the next few months we will introduce you to 10 tenacious trespassers that pose a threat to the native flora, fauna, and fishes of the Columbia River Basin.  Keep a close eye out for these critters because we need to send them packing for good!

Didymo (Didymospenia geminate) aka Rock Snot             

What is it?

As its common name suggests, didymo may look like, well – snot, but it’s not.  Didymo is a microscopic freshwater diatom (type of algae) that secretes a fibrous stalk which it uses to attach itself to rocks and plants in rivers and streams.  During blooms, the stalks grow to form thick mats that can completely cover the stream bottom.  This disgusting diatom may look slimy, but its silica cell walls make it feel more like wet wool.  Nuisance blooms are often mistaken for raw sewage spills because trailing stalks look like wet toilet paper in the water.

FACT:  When examined under a microscope, didymo cells look like an old-fashioned coke bottle.

Where is it from & where is it now?

Didymo is native to the far northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, Asia, and parts of North America (i.e., Vancouver Island).  Historically it has been limited to cool, clear, flowing rivers and streams with relatively high water quality and good light penetration.  



National Invasive Species Information Center. 
Modified from map created by Karl Hermann, Sarah Spaulding, and Tera Keller.



In its non-native range, didymo is found in a broader range of habitats including lakes and ponds, and tolerates warmer, more nutrient rich waters.  Nuisance blooms of didymo have been documented throughout New Zealand, South America (Chile and Argentina), Canada, and North America.  This map shows the North American distribution of didymo as of July 2008. 

FACT:  Didymo has been found in 18 US states (as of 2011).

How did it get here?

It is unclear how this awful alga first slithered its way across the globe, but it is likely that humans are the main culprit.  Most speculate didymo was first introduced and is still spread by the movement of contaminated recreational gear (e.g., boats, trailers, fishing line and tackle, kayaks, inner tubes) and clothing (e.g., life jackets, wetsuits, waders, felt-soled wading boots)  from an infested water body.  It only takes a single viable cell of didymo to begin an infestation in a new water body. 

FACT:  Didymo cells will remain viable in a cool damp environment for at least 40 days.

What are its impacts?

Under optimal growing conditions, didymo forms dense mats that can completely envelop the stream bottom, smothering aquatic plants, insects and mollusks; reducing fish spawning and foraging habitat.  Nuisance blooms of didymo may cause a shift in the benthic macroinvertebrate community from caddisfly, mayfly and stonefly (an important food base of many native fish species) to more pollution tolerant midges and worms.  Didymo may out-compete or limit the growth of native algal species that are a food source for aquatic insects.  Didymo may also have harmful effects on the local economy.  Stalk material can clog irrigation canals, block pipes and water intake structures at hydropower facilities, hinder commercial and sport fisheries, and ruin the aesthetic value of a water body which may impact recreational and tourism industries.

FACT:  Mats of didymo can grow up to 12 inches thick on the stream bottom with strands trailing in length of up to three feet.

What is being done about it?

There is currently no known method for eradicating didymo once it infests a water body.  Researchers in New Zealand are testing various biocides for potential control of didymo, but it is unclear what impacts these chemicals may have on fish and wildlife.  For now, the only effective management tool is spread prevention.

FACT:  Didymo is commonly spread by unsuspecting anglers because felt-soled wading boots absorb didymo cells like a sponge and provide a moist environment while boots are transported to a new location.

How can YOU prevent the spread of didymo?

Many aquatic nuisance species are spread unknowingly on equipment, shoes, and clothing.  To minimize the potential spread of unwanted invaders, follow these simple steps.

·       CHECK: all recreational gear and clothing that has come in contact with water for visible fragments before leaving a water body.  Leave fragments at infected site, preferably on dry land.

·       CLEAN: and disinfect your gear before traveling to a different water body.  Scrub and soak non-absorbent  gear in very hot water (>140°F) and one of the cleaners below for at least one minute, or in hot tap water (≈113°F) and one of the cleaners below for at least 20 minutes.  Absorbent items such as felt-soled boots need to be soaked a minimum of 40 minutes.

o   Household bleach (2% solution)

o   Table salt (5% solution)

o   Antiseptic hand cleaner (5% solution)

o   Dish detergent (5% solution)

·       DRY:  Allow your gear to dry completely (at least 48 hours) before next use.

What if I find didymo?

If you find didymo or any other “tenacious trespasser” contact the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force at 1-877-STOP-ANS.

Submitted by Jennifer Poirier 

Ten Tenacious Trespassers

An education trunk focusing on “Ten Tenacious Trespassers” is in the final stages of development.  These trespassers are aquatic nuisance species that are already here in the lower Columbia River basin or pose a threat to those waters. 

The trunk will contain preserved specimens of some of these species, educational videos, identification guides, curriculum, and activities.  From these materials, students will learn how to identify local aquatic nuisance species, where they come from, how they are introduced, the potentially devastating effects they may have on native species and the aquatic environment and actions every person can take to prevent the introduction and/or spread of aquatic nuisance species.  The trunk will be available for checkout to any educator.

To kickoff this new trunk, one of the trespassers will be highlighted each month in this blog - so be sure to stay tuned!  Can you identify the Ten Tenacious Trespassers?

Submitted by Donna Allard and Jen Poirier

Salmon Watch - Vernonia

The day started out a bit chilly and foggy but I knew the sun would soon be shining.  I drove up the road to Vernonia and stopped at the new school on my way to the salmon watch site.  Coincidentally, Aaron, the principal was just entering the school and asked me if I wanted a quick tour.  The school houses kindergarten through high school students.  It is LEED certified and replaces the older schools which have been ravaged by floods in recent years.  I was quite impressed with what I saw.  After a few minutes of chatting about the great natural resources based curriculum currently underway, I left school and headed to the stream where students would soon join me. 

Even though there had been no rain for the last couple months, the landowner said that he had indeed seen some fish in the stream.  Bonus for a salmon watch event.  Students from kindergarten, first, and fourth grade soon arrived on numerous buses.  After a brief introduction, I headed to the "water bug" station and waited for my first group.  The water bug station was one of nine groups that the students would take turns visiting.  The others included salmon viewing, salmon lifecycle and dissection, riparian walk, tree identification, and animal identification to name a few.

Students collecting macroinvertebrates.

 
There were about 8 students in each group for the morning session.  Each fourth grader was paired with a younger kid.  I watched as they held hands and worked with their younger partner.  I gave a short introduction on why we study water bugs and their importance to the stream and salmon.  Most of the fourth graders already knew much of this.  They not only study salmon but raise them in their classroom.  We spent the rest of our time collecting the insects, examining, and identifying them.

An extra bit of excitement at my station included a pair of coho salmon guarding a redd directly across the stream.  Every so often the female would do a little digging as well.  The students were very quiet so they did not scare the fish away.  All in all, I'd say the students had a fun day and learned alot.  And yes, the sun did indeed shine.



Two salmon sitting on a redd.

Submitted by Donna Allard



Columbia River Watershed Festival

Each year, around this time the Columbia River Watershed festival is held for students in Clark County Washington.  The Columbia River Fisheries Program Office (CRFPO), Clark County, City of Vancouver, Columbia Springs, and Clark PUD all contribute to making the event a success.  The event also depends on many other agencies and volunteers to give presentations or help in other ways.  Through games, songs, storytelling and hands on activities, students learn about watersheds, riparian zones, conservation, recycling and many other natural resource related topics.  This year the Columbia River Watershed Festival hosted 35 classes of 4^th graders during the two day event.

Jen and Donna

The CRFPO (and partner Clark County Department of Environmental Services) developed a presentation and activity for the watershed festival that introduced students to the topic of aquatic nuisance species (ANS).  During the presentation we defined what it means to be an aquatic nuisance species (vs. native and non-native species), discussed where they originate from, how they are introduced, impacts they may have on the natural environment/economy/human health, and actions every person can take to prevent their further spread.  Next the students were introduced to ten ANS that threaten the lower Columbia River using photo’s, illustrations, and preserved specimen.  Throughout the presentation the students asked thoughtful questions and seemed genuinely engaged in the conversation.  Following the presentation we tested the student’s knowledge of ANS by playing a trivia game.  Students rolled giant foam dice and moved game pieces on a life size game board.  We were impressed by how much information the students retained from the presentation.  Students LOVED taking turns rolling the giant dice and the potential to steal points from another group if a question was answered incorrectly.  Several students deemed this activity the “best game ever” – a huge compliment for a learning activity!  We also received positive feedback from teachers as well.  All in all the ANS lesson and activity was a huge success!

Playing the game

The topic of aquatic nuisance species is very important.  The vast majority of ANS are spread into new water bodies as a direct result of human activities.  Whether intentionally or by accident, once an ANS is introduced and becomes established in a new ecosystem, it is very costly and difficult to control or eradicate them.  Often the best approach to preventing the introduction or further spread of ANS is to educate the public on the potential pathways of introduction and steps each person can take to stop the spread of ANS in their local community.  The CRFPO is developing an ANS education trunk that will introduce students to the Columbia River’s “Ten Tenacious Trespassers”.  The trunk will include among other things a teaching curriculum, posters, videos and preserved specimens.  We will be including a smaller version of the watershed festival game/activity in our ANS education trunk that will be made available to teachers and local environmental educators in the winter of 2013.

Jen teaching students about Hydrilla

 Submitted by Jen Poirier and Donna Allard

A Summer of Great Memories at JBH

Hannah performing a stomach lavage on a Chinook

It is my last day working for CRFPO. I am Hannah Harper, one of the STEP students working for Jeff Johnson at Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge. I have had a wonderful summer working for this office, and would like thank everyone here for making this such a great experience. I have never worked in such a friendly and hard-working office.

I have so many great memories of this summer.  Taylor, Jordan, and I always had fun even when the work got dirty and tiring. When the fish counts started dwindling, we started a game to see whose net would catch the greatest amount of fish, and points were assigned for different species. For example, three spined sticklebacks were only worth 1 point, whereas salmon were worth 15 and any other species were worth 5. We also had a lot of jokes about poop (there was almost always some in the net), and once I was even caught in a “poop trap” when Taylor covered some in sticklebacks to trick me into picking it up. As Jordan stated, there’s nothing like a good old fashioned poop trap. Even around the office, I had a great time. Just this week, I got to test out a game for Donna and Jen, and Donna helped me take the work truck to the carwash. It was my first time ever driving a car through the carwash, and it was quite the adventure. Hint: don’t take field trucks to the Chevron carwash.



Top:  Net of sticklebacks and rough-skinned newts

Bottom:  Juvenile Chinook

Taylor dragging the canoe under a fallen tree at Steamboat Slough (Donna's favorite)

At large Welch Slough with Jeff, Taylor, and Donna



        Not only am I taking away great memories, but great experiences as well. I am a senior at UW studying Environmental Science and Resource Management as well as Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences. I graduate and begin my job hunt in December, and the experiences that I have had here will be invaluable. Not only have I gained practical experience in habitat surveys, fish identification, seining, etc., I have also learned more about how to ask the right questions and set up a project.  Jeff has helped me develop and gather data for my fisheries senior project, which I will complete this next quarter. Since not much is known about dissolved oxygen (DO) in the sloughs, he suggested that I look at diel patterns of DO to see if levels drop below the threshold for salmon at night when there is no photosynthetic supply of oxygen. We decided that I should look at one slough that is essentially unconnected from the Columbia River and one that is connected through a tide gate. So for about 3 weeks, I got up an hour early every morning and stayed out an hour later after work. I am not a morning person, and I must say that it was very difficult to drag myself out of bed an extra hour early. But once I was up, I enjoyed it; I got to see many beautiful sunrises.  Finally, my work was all made worth it on Wednesday when I entered it into the computer, graphed it, ran some preliminary statistical tests, and saw the results I was expecting (and hoping) to see. The DO in the tide-gated slough is much more stable, whereas the DO in the unconnected slough is highly variable and drops below critical levels several times. I will combine this information with the temperature and fish data that we have gathered throughout the summer.

Sunrise at JBH

Sunset at the bunkhouse

Submitted by Hannah Harper

The Head Lab, The Place to Be

Recently I was assigned to work in the "head lab" for a week.  The "head lab" is the affectionate name we call the back room off the lab.  It is the place where we extract the coded wire tag from the snouts of salmon.  The snouts were taken during spawning and biosampling.  I had never in my career cut snouts in search of a tag and I was not looking forward to it.

Anyway, I met Chuck in the head lab where he was busy cutting heads while listening to his favorite country radio station.  He set me up with a cutting board, a very sharp knife (bad idea), a hot cup of water, and a tag detector.  He patiently showed me the procedure.  First we checked the whole snout for a tag.  Sometimes during biosampling, a fish hook in the salmon may trigger the detector.  We did get a few of those. 

Once we determined the snout did have a tag, we went to work.  Basically, you keep cutting pieces of the snout and waving the piece in front of the detector.  If the detector goes off, the tag is in that piece.  Just to be sure though, you must check the other piece to be sure it is negative for a tag.  That piece can then be tossed. 

He showed me the target area where the tag can usually be found.  It took me a long time to find my first tag.  I also think we lost it at the end.  That happens sometimes.  Those tags are small.  I need glasses just to see them.  Anyway, after awhile, I think I got pretty good at this snout chopping business.  And it was not as bad as I thought it would be.  In fact, next year I plan to sign up for the duty myself. 

This coded wire tag is what I am trying to find.



I'm trying to find it in this fish head.



.

First we cut off the jaw.

I start to chop the snout into pieces.

Each piece is checked with the tag detector.

The tag is somewhere in this piece of flesh.

Tag sucessfully extracted and safefly in a bag, ready to be read.

Submitted by Donna Allard

Lamprey Summit III

Lamprey Summit III was held on June 20-21, 2012 at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon. The Fish and Wildlife Service co-hosted the Summit with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

200 people attended the Summit. They represented tribes from the Columbia River Basin, Coastal Oregon and Washington, Puget Sound, and California; state agencies; federal agencies; public utility districts; NGOs; and universities. Speakers shared recent progress they have made in conservation efforts for Pacific Lamprey such as status assessments, passage improvements, and conservation plan development.

During the Summit, many tribal elders spoke of the importance of lamprey and water to their people.  The following quote is from Wilbur Slockish, Jr., hereditary chief of the Klickitat Tribe, a part of the Yakama Nation.

"From the beginning of time, the eel has had a place with our people. The tail was what we used to break the teeth of our babies – chewing for teething. The oils provided vitamins to their bodies to make them healthy. It’s not just an eel disappearing; we need to link everything that happens to the water because water is the giver of life."

A Conservation Agreement was signed by many tribes, states and agencies. The Agreement is a voluntary effort by the signers and supporters to work collaboratively to conserve Pacific Lamprey.

Now that the Summit is over and the Conservation Agreement has been signed, the Fish and Wildlife Service is working with our partners to develop regional implementation plans for Pacific Lamprey. Each region will determine what conservation actions and research is needed in their watersheds to conserve Pacific Lamprey. Actions such as improving lamprey passage over dams and culverts, restoring degraded stream habitat, and improving water quality are on the list of needed actions in many regions. Monitoring lamprey populations by doing distribution surveys is an example of a research need. We hope by working together with our partners to complete these actions and research needs, we can ensure long term persistence of Pacific Lamprey throughout its United States range.

Submitted by Christina Luzier