Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force

Control

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After a species becomes established, management options include containment, control, and, if possible, eradication. Containment efforts are used to prevent further spread of the targeted ANS, while control efforts are used to suppress aquatic nuisance species populations to slow the rate of range expansion and lessen the impacts to public interests. Below are key resources developed by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, its members, regional panels, or subcommittees to control existing populations of aquatic nuisance species:

Control and Restoration Measures

Summary of Gaps in Control and Restoration Measures - Survey conducted by the Aquatic Nuisance Specie Task Force Control Subcommittee to identify gaps in control and restoration measures and measures that are needed to address the deficiency.

National ANS Management and Control Plans

When the ANS Task Force determines that control of an aquatic nuisance species is warranted, recommended actions are organized into a comprehensive management plan that focuses on essential tasks designed to minimize the impact to areas where ANS have already invaded and prevent spread into additional habitats. Species management plans are developed through a cooperative process, with committee members from Federal and State agencies, non-governmental organizations, industry representatives, subject matter experts, and others. The plans also undergo review by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force members and regional panels, with opportunities for public review.

There are currently nine National Aquatic Nuisance Species Management and Control Plans approved by the ANS Task Force:

• Brown tree snake, approved June 1996
• Eurasian ruffe, approved November 1996.
• European green crab, approved November 2002; revision approved July 2023
• Mitten crabs, approved November 2003.
• Caulerpa species (an invasive algae), approved October 2005.
• Snakehead, approved November 2006, revision approved May 2015.
• New Zealand mudsnail, approved May 2007.
• Invasive carp (black carp, bighead carp, grass carp, and silver carp), approved November 2007.
• Lionfish, approved May 2015.

National ANS Management and Control Plans:  Control Subcommittee Documents

• Assessment of the Species Control and Management Plans of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force – assessment of the current status of each of the nine Species Control and Management Plans approved by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.

• Guidance for Aquatic Nuisance Species Control and Management Plans: Development Process and Required Plan Contents – guidance to create a species management plan that identifies action items to guide Federal and State agency activities and funding priorities.

Regional Species Control and Management Plans:

Regional Panels of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force have also developed Management and Control Plans to identify regional strategies to address species of concern.

• Quagga-Zebra Mussel Action Plan for Western U.S. Waters (QZAP) – developed by the Western Regional Panel and approved by the ANS Task Force in 2010. The plan has since become the Department of the Interior's roadmap for addressing the western spread of quagga and zebra mussels.
• Updated Recommendations for the Quagga and Zebra Mussel Action Plan for Western U.S. Waters (QZAP 2.0) - provides current detailed and measurable objectives that will further the existing collaborative efforts on invasive mussels and provide a framework to guide WRP members and their partners in decision-making and implementation in the future.
• Connecticut River Hydrilla Control Project Five-Year Management Plan – developed by the Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species Panel as five-year plan for hydrilla infestations that relies heavily upon monitoring and adaptive management.
• Northern Snakehead Plan for Chesapeake Bay Watershed