Contact:

Dave White, New York Sea Grant, Recreation/Tourism Specialist, P: 315.312.3042, E: dgw9@cornell.edu

Syracuse, NY, July 1, 2013 -Boating season is underway in New York and that brings with it the risk of invasive species being spread into rivers and lakes. For this edition of Going Green, Your News Now’s Terry Ettinger has more.

“Right now, the biggest issue of concern is hydrilla, which is an invasive plant that’s been found in the Finger Lakes in Western New York,” said New York Sea Grant's Recreation/Tourism Specialist Dave White.

Many invasive species continue to move through the system like bloody red shrimp, ruffe, river ruffe, rudd and others are being transported across New York State and there’s great concern about new species that could come into the lakes

White says the key to prevent the spread of any invasive species is careful inspection and cleaning.

“You need to make sure you check everything that’s come in contact with the water to make sure you’re not transporting any water or any organisms. If you see weeds, remove them, if you have any standing water you want to make sure you’re removing it by wiping it off and hosing it down. Many boat launch ramps have invasive species collection points. So, you’re not just throwing it back in the water, but into a collection point,” said White.

At some boat launches they may have people there to help.

“New York State DEC in partnership with many of us put forward a program called Boat Launch Stewards. At many boat launch ramps, there may actually be college students there working the Stop Aquatic Hitchhiker Program, to help keep your boat clean drained and dry helping identify areas you’ll want to clean invasive species from,” said White.

Finally, it’s not just the boat and trailer that need to be inspected and cleaned, it’s anything that has come in contact with the water such as boots or fishing gear.

For more on this topic, check out the video clip.



And there's more "NYSG Great Lakes Boating & Marine Trades" News available via the "News/Topics" link in the left-hand sidebar at www.nyseagrant.org/marina.

The YNN channel, based in Syracuse, telecasts two separate program feeds, one to Central/Northern New York; one to the Southern Tier. YNN is available to nearly 600,000 cable subscribers across a 25-county, 15,000 square mile area.

More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, which, in 2014, merges with the program's e-newsletter, Currents. NY Coastlines is published several times a year.