Share and Follow
NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — This week, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is asking boaters to keep a closer eye on what they’re bringing with them when they leave the water — aside from the fish, of course.
Game and Fish workers are encouraging people to check their boats for any sign of aquatic nuisance species when they leave the lakes and rivers.
Right now, several invasive species have made their way into North Dakota’s waters, including curly leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil.
Read Related Also: 5th annual jazz concert to benefit multi-cultural camp for kids
Game and Fish is also hoping to keep common carp and zebra mussels away from more fishing lakes.
“Something like zebra mussels, they’re manipulating the food web, taking a lot of the nutrients from the upper water column, put them in the bottom, clearing up water quality — and they can have really food chain level effects on things like that,” NDGF Aquatic Nuisance Species Program Coordinator, Ben Holen said. “Stuff like curly pond weed might compete with native plant species, come up earlier than native plant species crowd it out, make fishing and boating, you know, impossible.”
This session, state lawmakers approved nearly $3 million for the Game and Fish’s aquatic nuisance species program. These funds will help pay for a new lab and storage building.
