the 2010 digest - New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!
It’s up to boaters and anglers to keep nuisance species from invading N.H.’s waters!
Several species of non-native aquatic plants invade waterbodies, forming thick underwater
stands of tangled stems and vast mats of vegetation at the water’s surface. They can
crowd out important native water plants. Once they become established, aquatic nuisance
species can be impossible to contain and control—so please make sure you’re not accidentally
bringing an aquatic hitchhiker into the state!
To prevent the transport of aquatic nuisance species, please clean all recreational equipment.
Whenever you leave a body of water:
• Remove any visible mud, plants, fish or animals.
• Drain water from equipment (engine water intake systems, bilge, live wells, bait buckets).
• Clean and dry anything that comes into contact with water (boats, trailers, equipment, etc.)
• Never release plants, fish or animals into a body of water unless they came out of that
body of water. It’s the law!
Invasive Plants »
It is illegal to transport, import, purchase,
propagate, sell or distribute 14 species of
non-native aquatic plants in NH. Among
them are: Eurasian milfoil, variable milfoil,
fanwort, purple loosestrife and water
chestnut.
Milfoil
Edward Woltmann
Keep VHS Out
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia or VHS
virus is a fish disease that arrived in the
Great Lakes region just a few years ago.
VHS is not a threat to people who handle
or eat infected fish, but it can kill more
than 25 fish species—making it the most
significant fish disease problem in the US
in the last 50 years, with the potential to
devastate freshwater fish populations.
To date, there have been no VHS-infected
fish collected in New Hampshire, but the
virus has been found in several New York
waters, and there is a real threat that it
will reach our waters over time. There is
no vaccination or cure for the disease, so
it can’t be controlled—only contained.
You can help by not moving fish, including
bait fish, from one waterbody to another.
If you suspect VHS virus or see a fish kill,
immediately report it to NH Fish and Game
at (603) 744-5470.
« ZEBRA MUSSELS
These non-natives cause numerous problems,
including attaching themselves to boat
hulls and clogging water intake systems.
Let’s keep zebra mussels out of NH.
Zebra Mussels
DIDYMO »
Didymosphenia geminata, a.k.a. “didymo”
or “rock snot,” has been discovered in the
Connecticut River and its tributaries. If you
fish, boat or swim in this river, be sure to
disinfect all of your items before using them
elsewhere. Visit www.des.nh.gov and search
“didymo” for more details so YOU don’t
spread this organism.
Didymo
Tyler Baker
For more information, contact the NH Department of Environmental Services Exotic
Species Program at (603) 271-2963, www.des.nh.gov; NH Fish and Game at (603) 271-2501,
www.FishNH.com; or www.protectyourwaters.net.
livewell
motor &
propeller
anchor
Check your boat and equipment and remove
any plants or other materials. Milfoil and other
aquatic invasives can easily adhere to propellers
and many other catch points on your boat.
hitch
hull
axle
trim tabs
28 2010 New Hampshire Freshwater Fishing Digest