State looks to combat aquatic invasives
With nuisance species steadily invading North Carolina waters, state officials have approved a plan designed to curb their onward march.
The Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan lays the groundwork for a coordinated effort among governments and their agencies in North Carolina to fight species that have been introduced to the state’s waters and are causing harm, as well as to prevent new introductions.
The plan ranks nuisance species in order of their impacts and includes recommendations to achieve its goals. Recommendations include developing a rapid-response strategy for new introductions; coordinating data collection on current and potential threats; establishing systematic reporting mechanisms and monitoring protocols; researching the economic implications of nuisance species; and leveraging funding to get the job done.
The plan is online at ncdenr.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Water%20Resources/files/awc/ Aquatic%20Nuisance%20Species%20Management%20Plan%20-%20final.pdf.
