AUTHORS: Curtis Wagner, Ohio Division of Wildlife; Mark Warman, Cleveland Metroparks
ABSTRACT: Historically, fisheries management has only superficially considered aquatic vegetation when engaging in fisheries assessment and actions. However, emerging invasive aquatic plants such as Hydrilla verticillate (Hydrilla) indicate the need to more fully integrate aquatic vegetation assessment and management with fisheries management. Hydrilla has become widely recognized as one of the world’s most aggressive invasive aquatic plants and is responsible for an array of environmental and fisheries disruptions when left unmanaged. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, like many other state agencies, does not have a standardized aquatic vegetation assessment program nor a statewide rapid response plan for detected invasive aquatic plants; this deficiency has become most recognized through recent Hydrilla detections. Hydrilla was first detected in an Ohio reservoir in 2011, with multiple small impoundment detections soon thereafter. In recent years, new populations of Hydrilla have been discovered in large, public reservoirs, including one that links the Lake Erie and the Ohio River drainages. Here we will provide an overview of Hydrilla detections in Ohio to highlight the challenges, successes, setbacks, and lessons learned. These case studies highlight the importance of established partnerships, integrated funding, prevention strategies, and effective communication to address Hydrilla detections in a complicated management landscape. Perceptions vary widely among reservoir stakeholders concerning aquatic vegetation and invasive hydrilla; differences in opinions and understanding occur even among anglers. Fisheries managers are encouraged to consider incorporating aquatic vegetation assessments into fisheries management actions and to develop rapid response strategies with relevant partners for future invasive aquatic plant detections.
