Two NEW publications available!
The invading Eurasian ruffe is turning out to be quite the political animal.
Amid the ongoing controversy over the use of chemicals to kill the exotic species, the federal government has decided to let Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan decide on their own treatment methods.
Using chemical piscicides to halt the spread of ruffe was one of six recommendations made by the Ruffe Control Committee, an interagency group that has been meeting since 1992 to develop ways to contain the ruffe in its current range in western Lake Superior.
Originally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was identified as the lead agency to conduct chemical treatment. And as recently as late March, chemical treatments were planned for WisconsinÕs Brule and Iron rivers, Saxon Harbor, Wis., and Michigan's Black River.
However, in April the Ruffe Control Committee agreed to let states make their own decisions about using chemical controls. As of this writing, no state has decided to use such controls. "Chemical treatment is controversial to say the least," said Tom Busiahn, a fishery biologist with the USFWS and chairman of the Ruffe Control Committee.
The chemical in question is trifluoro-nitro-methylphenol (TFM), the same toxicant currently used to control sea lampreys in the Great Lakes. A National Biological Survey (NBS) study concluded that "a selective removal of ruffe (using TFM) would be possible with minimum mortality among nontarget fishes."
However, the NBS study concluded that "a higher concentration of TFM (than is used against lamprey) would be required to eradicate ruffe in most streams."
The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, the entity responsible for keeping sea lampreys in check, has proposed a 50 percent reduction in TFM use by the year 2000.
Alternatives to chemical treatment offer little hope, Busiahn said. "So far, nothing anybody's done has kept the ruffe from spreading," he said.
No Great Lakes predator fish eats ruffe in numbers significant enough to keep ruffe populations in check. The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission's Ruffe Task Force considered removing ruffe via trawling but decided that it was too expensive and would likely be ineffective. Using physical barriers to limit ruffe access to streams was also deemed ineffective.
- Laurence Wiland
So many United States and Canadian agencies share in the responsibility of studying and protecting the Great Lakes that it's sometimes hard to tell who does what.
UW Sea Grant's new "Great Lakes Glossary" is a guide to organizations that manage, protect and rehabilitate the Great Lakes.
Available in print and online, it lists names, addresses and phone numbers for United States federal and interstate agencies, as well as Canadian federal and provincial agencies. The online version also contains links to documents and information sources at other locations.
The World Wide Web location for the glossary is: http://h2o.seagrant. wisc.edu/ greatlakes/glossary.html
Single printed copies are available at no charge from UW Sea Grant Communications, Goodnight Hall, 1975 Willow Drive, Madison, WI 53706-1103, and from Sea Grant Advisory Services offices in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Manitowoc and Superior/Ashland.
Aquatic Exotic, a new 23-page catalog of zebra mussel-related educational and informational resources produced by Sea Grant programs nationwide, is now available at no charge from UW Sea Grant Communications. The guide lists resources according to format - videos, fact sheets, newsletters, posters, etc. - and includes the addresses, phone and FAX numbers and email addresses of the state Sea Grant program where each product can be ordered. To obtain copies of the glossary or the catalog, contact Linda Campbell by phone at (608) 263-3259, FAX (608) 262-0591, or email: lecampbe@seagrant.wisc.edu.
Two new writers recently joined the staff of "Earthwatch," UW Sea Grant's award-winning radio program.
Carol Hartman is a UW journalism graduate student. Prior to moving to Madison, she worked for three years in California as an environmental reporter at the weekly Oakdale Leader and the daily Modesto Bee. Hartman also served in the Peace Corps for two years in Honduras. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois.
Linda Hart is also a journalism graduate student at UW. She earned a M.S. in biochemistry from UW-Madison and worked as a research assistant in the Biochemistry Department. Hart earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Dayton.
Since "Earthwatch"began in 1972, more than 50 students have worked as writers for the program.
Back to previous page To be added to the mailing list, contact:
Linda Campbell / Communications Office
University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Goodnight Hall, 1975 Willow Drive
Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1103, U.S.A.
Telephone (608) 263-3259
FAX (608) 262-0591
or email us at lecampbe@seagrant.wisc.edu
This page created May 1995
Last updated 21 December 1995. T. Yao and J. Eischens
All contents copyright 1995 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Designed by Tina Yao tlyao@seagrant.wisc.edu