This rapid response plan for aquatic invasive species (AIS) is an inter-agency decision support tool designed to aid regulatory agencies (Appendix A: Authority) in conducting a coordinated and structured response to new AIS infestations. It outlines the steps to follow upon receiving a report and serves as a guide for determining when a response is appropriate and what types of responses should be considered. This is a working document and revising it will be an ongoing process. As additional information gaps are identified, they will be incorporated into this document. This document was developed by the Pennsylvania Invasive Species Council Aquatic Working Group Rapid Response subcommittee.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), and other regulatory agencies will coordinate responses to AIS threats while operating under any existing internal agency protocols as necessary and deemed appropriate by the agency initiating the response.
Based on the definition from the federal Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990, aquatic invasive species (AIS) are defined in this document as non-native species that threaten the diversity or abundance of native species, the ecological stability of infested waters, human health and safety, or commercial, agricultural, aquacultural, or recreational activities dependent on such waters. Invasive species are, with respect to a particular ecosystem, any species, including its seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species, that is not native to that ecosystem (Office of the President of the United States, 1999).
Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution states that the people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustees of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people. Pennsylvania has more than 84,000 miles of streams and many in- state lakes, sharing five major watersheds with other states and Canada. All of these waterways have the potential to host aquatic invasive species, therefore creating AIS management implications. Once invasive species become widely established, controlling their spread is both technically difficult and expensive, while eradication can be impossible. Therefore, prevention of new introductions must remain the first priority in fighting aquatic invasions (PA AISMP 2007).
The National Invasive Species Council defines rapid response as “a systematic effort to eradicate, contain, or control a potentially invasive non-native species introduced into an ecosystem while the infestation of that ecosystem is still localized.” To be most effective, a response to an introduction should occur as soon as possible after the introduction is realized, and before the species is established.
When prevention efforts fail to stop the introduction of an aquatic invasive species, it is critical that a process be in place to address the new infestations quickly and effectively. This document is intended for use by Pennsylvania state agencies with authority over or concerns about aquatic invasive species in the Commonwealth (see Appendix A: Authority). Objective four of the Pennsylvania Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan (PA AISMP 2007) calls for the development of a rapid response effort to “Develop a system for early response to eradicate or contain a target species before the species can become permanently established.” In addition, one of the plan’s priority strategies is to: Implement a coordinated system for rapid response efforts to contain or eradicate newly detected aquatic invasive species (Strategy 4A). In response to this mandate, the Pennsylvania Invasive Species Council has developed a process for quickly responding to new AIS infestations in the Commonwealth.
This plan details that process and was designed to address the critical period between the introduction and the establishment of a new AIS when the focus of management must shift rapidly from prevention to eradication and control. In so doing, the ultimate goal of the rapid response plan model is to capitalize on the window of opportunity to stop the establishment of new harmful invasive species shortly after introduction, when prevention has failed (ANSC, 2005).
Download the plan for details, instructions, and case studies.
