Members of a Vermont conservation group say New York officials’ new plan to limit the spread of a devastating invasive fish moving toward Lake Champlain may not be enough.
After taking over the Great Lakes, the round goby has made its way through the Erie Canal and into the Hudson River. Environmentalists say it’s only a matter of time before it reaches the lake — and they want to stop it in its path.
Environmentalists and the lake’s advocates have been sounding the alarm about the potential impact from the fish’s arrival and urging immediate action from New York officials.
On Thursday, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation and the Canal Corporation published a plan to prevent the round goby’s spread, but members of the Nature Conservancy in Vermont say more may be needed.
The small green fish, native to parts of Eurasia, would likely have a profound impact on Lake Champlain’s ecosystem. It spawns multiple times in a season and eats the eggs of other fish and their young. It can survive in poor water quality, and is expected to bring a pathogen called viral hemorrhagic septicemia that could impact other species.
Members of the Nature Conservancy have said the most definitive way to keep the fish out of the lake — and, by extension, prevent it from entering a network of Northeastern water bodies — is to close a lock that connects the Hudson River to Lake Champlain.
Closing the lock would impact around 100 recreational boaters, the organization estimated, but the canal isn’t currently used for commerce and industry.
While New York’s plan involves “double draining” two locks that connect the river to the lake, it doesn’t call for the lock to remain closed. It’s currently scheduled to reopen for the season on May 20.
The Nature Conservancy recognizes the plan “represents a significant step in the right direction” — particularly because it “publicly acknowledges the significant role” the canal, which connects the Great Lakes to New York, plays in the spread of invasive species, said Lauren Oates, policy director at the conservancy’s Vermont chapter.
Still, members of the organization continue to worry.
“We are hopeful that New York will keep the lock closed while these important deliberations around permanent solutions can unfold, protecting our shared waters from the round goby and the impacts it would bring,” she said.
According to the plan, New York state officials expect to coordinate field research and data sampling with U.S. Geological Survey, including an aggressive sampling effort that will scan the Hudson River Watershed for any signs of the round goby. This involves screening for environmental DNA, or “eDNA,” tiny pieces of organic matter containing the species’ DNA that can be located in the environment and indicate its nearby presence.
The state also plans to implement “immediate risk reduction strategies in select locks” along the canal this season, including the “double draining” method which is intended to move the goby “out of the lock and lock approach to prevent upstream migration,” according to a release issued about the plan.
New York state officials will assess other options for the locks “that allow boat passage and have the potential to be implemented in the next year,” like electric barriers and air bubbles.
They’ll also launch a public education campaign to make boaters, anglers and others aware of ways to stop the spread of the round goby, and they’ll assess potential economic and ecological impacts that could occur if the fish invades.
Though the plan does not specifically mention closure of locks, it indicates there could be additional preventative measures if the situation persists.
“DEC and Canal Corporation will create plans to address additional operational changes of the Canal system in the event that research shows upstream movement of the goby that may justify the need for other measures,” the release says, “or if a new AIS (aquatic invasive species) is identified within proximity to entering the Champlain Canal.”
