Recreation never has an off-season in the Midwest. It’s the dead of winter, and the lakes of Wisconsin have transformed into small villages of ice shanties. The snow globe-like scenes are tranquil. But many of the crystalline sheets of ice that support our ephemeral cities conceal things more sinister than monster pike.
Although many believe invasive species die off or fall dormant, many aquatic invasive species (AIS) remain viable and continue to threaten our fresh water ecosystems. Eurasian water-milfoil and curly-leaf pondweed are very tolerant to temperature change and continue to grow under the ice, then drastically reproduce when water begins to warm in the spring. This head start over native aquatic species is just one way invasives quickly take over a lake or river system. Just like in the summer, AIS can hitch a ride on fishing equipment during the winter. Because Eurasian water-milfoil and curly-leaf pondweed can re-root from plant fragments, it is important to check for and remove all plant parts from augers, fishing line, hooks, and anything else that comes in contact with lake or river water. Invasive zebra and quagga mussels can also easily get snagged on hooks and reeled in. Be sure to throw any captured invasive plants and animals in the garbage, not back into the water. This ensures aquatic invasive species don’t get the chance to spread.
Very serious, contagious fish diseases like viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) and whirling disease can be spread from one body of water to another via water and infected fish. To prevent the spread of diseases, neither live fish nor lake or river water should ever be taken away from a body of water. This includes water added to bait buckets. An exception to the do-not-transport law is for bait minnows bought at a licensed Wisconsin live bait dealer. These minnows may be moved away live and used again in the same body of water, or in other waters only if no lake or river water was added to their container. Unwanted minnows should be disposed of in the garbage, never dumped into a water body. It’s always a good idea to clean ice fishing equipment, especially if you regularly fish in different bodies of water. Cleaning equipment ensures the removal of AIS that are not visible, like the microscopic offspring of spiny water fleas, zebra mussels, and quagga mussels.
To prevent the spread of AIS while ice fishing, anglers should:
- Inspect and clean all fishing equipment like hooks, lines, scoops, nets, and augers after each use.
- Decontaminate all equipment with a disinfection solution or allow to dry for at least 5 days.
- Drain all water from equipment and containers with fish before leaving the ice. Consider transporting harvested fish on ice.
- Only purchase live bait from a licensed Wisconsin bait dealer and properly dispose of unused bait.
Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance on our Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance Facebook page or @fox_wolf_watershed_alliance on Instagram! You can also sign-up for email updates at fwwa.org.
The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
Reporting invasive species is a first step in containing their spread. Maintaining and restoring our waters and landscapes can reduce the impacts even when we don’t have other management options to an invasive species.
This article was originally written by Anna Bartsch.