Ontario and its partners are working hard to prevent the arrival of new invasive species and slow the spread of those already in the province. Research, public education, legislation, on-the-ground activities and partnerships all help protect Ontario's biodiversity from the effects of invasive species.
Research Partnerships
Ontario has invested $15 million and is working with the federal government to establish the Invasive Species Centre at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. The centre will promote research, cooperation and collaboration among agencies fighting invasive species to ensure their efforts achieve the best possible results. The centre is expected to be completed in the spring of 2011. To speed progress on fighting invasive species, some research projects have already received funding.
Invasive Species Centre at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie
(Artist's rendering)
Invasive Species Research Chair at Algoma University
The Ministry of Natural Resources provided funding to Algoma University to establish a Research Chair of Invasive Species Biology. The current chair, Dr. Pedro Antunes, is developing an international network of researchers through the university's Invasive Species Research Institute. He is conducting research on critical invasive species in Ontario and will work closely with the Invasive Species Centre to address the threat of forest invasive species and invasive plants.
Research to Control Round Goby
The round goby is an aggressive invasive fish that feeds on the eggs and young of native fish species. Researchers from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the University of Windsor are researching the use of chemicals, acoustic signals and egg odours to attract gobies. They are also using genetic markers to study movement patterns in goby populations. The results of this research could help stop round gobies from spreading further into Ontario’s inland lakes and rivers. Experiments have also shown that small populations of round gobies can be removed from brooks and streams using a chemical that is toxic only to certain species.
Forest Health Research
Scientists at the Ontario Forest Research Institute in the Ministry of Natural Resources conduct research on forest health and invasive species, including invasive tree diseases such as butternut canker and white pine blister rust. The ministry also furthers research through partnerships with others such as Natural Resources Canada, universities, and private companies. One such partnership is SERG International, which includes members from most other Canadian provinces, the Canadian Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service. The group collaborates on research to improve forest pest management.
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| Scientist prepares butternut graft - Photo: Trudy Vaittinen/OFRI |
Partnerships to Protect Forest Health
Invasive species increasingly threaten the health of Ontario's forests and our ability to trade with other nations. Ontario works with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Canadian Forest Service, the forest industry and others to prevent invasive forest pests from becoming established in Ontario and to manage or eradicate those that do.
Ontario is actively involved with groups such as the Ontario Invasive Plant Council, the Forest Pest Management Forum, the Ontario Vegetation Management Association, the Ontario Weed Committee and more. These groups work together on legislation, management and control of invasive species.
Public Education and Awareness
Invading Species Awareness Program
The Invading Species Awareness Program helps people learn about invasive species and how to prevent them from spreading into Ontario’s forests, lakes and streams. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters have been partners in the program since 1992. Through the program, anglers have learned about the dangers of dumping bait into lakes and rivers. As a result, fewer anglers are releasing bait into water bodies.
Partnerships for Forest Health Information
The Ontario government has developed partnerships with the Government of Canada, universities and private companies to provide expert advice, education and information on forest insects, diseases and invasive species. Fact sheets, forest health alerts, advice on pest problems and forest health reports are available on the Forests in Ontario website and at Ministry of Natural Resources district offices. Workshops, public meetings and media releases are also used to provide helpful and timely information on issues such as insect outbreaks.
The Ministry of Natural Resources also works with many partners to provide information to landowners to help them fight invasive species on their properties.
Examples include:
When Invasive Species Threaten Your Woodlot
A Landowner's Guide for Woodlots Threatened by Emerald Ash Borer
The Landowner's Guide to Controlling Invasive Woodland Plants
Legislation
Chronic Wasting Disease Legislation
Chronic wasting disease is a brain disease that affects deer, moose, elk and potentially caribou. The disease has never been found in wild animals in Ontario. To help keep the disease out of Ontario, the province banned the possession of the high-risk parts of deer, moose, elk and caribou killed outside the province.
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| Deer - Photo: JB Dawson/MNR |
Ballast Water Regulations
Ocean-going vessels dumping untreated ballast water is likely one of the most common ways aquatic invasive species have been introduced and spread in the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Since Ontario called for strengthened regulations for ships entering the Great Lakes, Transport Canada, the U.S. St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation have passed laws requiring ocean-going vessels to flush their tanks with salt water before entering the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.
In 2009, 97.9 per cent of vessels complied with the law, greatly reducing the risk of aquatic invasive species entering the Great Lakes in ship ballast tanks..
Buying and Selling Asian Carp Prohibited
Asian carp is an aggressive invasive fish that could devastate fisheries in the Great Lakes. Ontario has taken action to prevent Asian carp and other high-risk invasive fish species from getting into Ontario waters. In 2005, the province prohibited the buying and selling of several live invasive fish, including the four Asian carp species. These laws will help to protect Ontario's fisheries and the province's economy.
On-the-Ground Action to Fight Invasive Species
Controlling Purple Loosestrife in Ontario
Galerucella beetles have been shown to control purple loosestrife, an invasive wetland plant. The Ministry of Natural Resources has worked with the University of Guelph, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and many other partners on the Ontario Purple Loosestrife Biological Control Program. Beetles have been released in more than 400 locations across Ontario since 1993. The beetles have reduced the abundance of purple loosestrife in more than 80 per cent of the release sites.
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| Purple loosestrife - Photo: Bev Wigney/Magiccanoe |
Sea Lamprey Control Program
The sea lamprey is an invasive, eel-like fish that entered the Great Lakes through canals and was well established by 1938. Since 1956, a successful international control program has used barriers, trapping and lampricides that kill sea lamprey larvae. The number of lamprey has plunged almost 90 per cent from peak numbers in the 1960s, allowing populations of native fish such as lake trout and whitefish to recover.
Keeping Ontario Bait Free of Invasive Species
Ontario introduced a preventive system to help make sure fish, water and equipment used by the Ontario bait industry are free of invasive species. Bait dealers and harvesters have been trained to identify the critical points in their retail or harvesting operations where controls are needed to ensure their products are free of invasive species. The companies then track their operations to ensure the correct procedures are followed.
Water Soldier Control in the Trent-Severn Waterway
A new invasive aquatic plant called water soldier was found in the Trent River in 2008. This ornamental water garden plant has not been found in the wild anywhere else in North America. The Ministry of Natural Resources has been working with partners to eradicate water soldier by pulling the plants by hand and with rakes and applying chemicals to kill the plants. Efforts to control this new invader are ongoing.
Water Chestnut Control in the Ottawa River
European water chestnut is an invasive aquatic plant that was first discovered in the Ottawa River in 2005. The Ministry of Natural Resources has been working with a company in Quebec to remove large quantities of the plant from deeper water using a mechanical harvester. In 2011, the ministry will be exploring methods to control the plant in shallow water sites.
Prevention
Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Program
To prevent chronic wasting disease from entering Ontario, since 2002 the Ministry of Natural Resources has worked with hunters to collect samples from dead deer and elk to test for the disease. All tests have been negative. Continued testing will help ensure that if the disease enters Ontario, the province can detect it early and respond quickly.
Ontario Forest Health Monitoring
Ontario monitors the health of its forests through an ongoing program of on-the-ground and aerial surveillance. Ministry of Natural Resources staff observe and report on the condition of forests and the occurrence of insects, diseases and disturbances. For example, staff are looking for the invasive insect emerald ash borer at high-risk sites and helping municipalities conduct their own surveys.
The information is used to plan forest management and pest management programs; design research projects, invasive species strategies and climate change programs; and support assessments of forest sustainability and biodiversity.
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| Emerald ash borer - Photo: Ed Czerwinski/MNR |
