ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The state Department of Natural Resources has established a quarantine for five invasive aquatic plant species that threaten to infest Alaska’s rivers and lakes.
The plants have historically been found in the aquarium trade. They are:
- Canadian waterweed (Elodea canadensis)
- Western nuttallii (Elodea nuttallii)
- Brazilian waterweed (Egeria densa)
- Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)
- Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)
The Anchorage Daily News reports (https://bit.ly/1cBee3Y ) two of the five, Canadian waterweed and western nuttalli, are currently the focus of an aggressive containment effort. Ecologists warn they could threaten fish as well as boating, float plane and commercial and sport fishing. Since 2009, they have been found in Fairbanks, the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage
The other three species are known as high-risk invasive aquatic plant species in other places.
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Information from: Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News, https://www.adn.com
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