After hosting ICAIS 2013 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the Invasive Species Centre (ISC) became the ICAIS Secretariat, to provide continuity, leadership, and administrative oversight of the conference going forward. In that capacity, the ISC collaborates with the host organization of each conference, supports the International Scientific Committee, and is the home for the conference between events.

The ISC vision is a Canada where land and water are free from invasive species. The Invasive Species Centre is a not-for-profit organization that mobilizes action against invasive species that harm the environment, economy, and society in Canada and beyond. Visit our website at www.invasivespeciescentre.ca to learn about invasive species, get technical information, take training courses, register for events, sign up to receive news, and take action on invasive species. Incorporated as a non-for-profit in 2011, the Invasive Species Centre is a hub for collaboration and knowledge sharing. The Centre is a respected partner and leader in invasive species science, education, and action.

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is an international organization established by the United States and Canada through the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. The commission was established partially as a response to one of the most noxious invaders to enter the Great Lakes system:  the sea lamprey.  Sea lampreys, primitive fish parasites native to the Atlantic Ocean, invaded the Great Lakes through shipping canals in the early 1900s.  Lacking predators, sea lamprey were able to wreak catastrophic damage on the ecosystem and cause significant economic harm to the fishers of the region. The commission’s control program has been successful, reducing sea lamprey populations by 90% in most areas of the Great Lakes. 

The convention also directs the commission to formulate a coordinated bi-national research program.  The program goals are to identify ways to nurture the maximum sustained productivity of Great Lakes fish stocks and, based on that research, to recommend specific management initiatives to the governments. The commission’s research program is based upon two broad priorities: research in support of healthy Great Lakes ecosystems and research in support of sea lamprey control. Additionally, the commission directs and supports projects designed to transfer science to managers.

Finally, the commission is charged with facilitating the implementation of A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries, a provincial, state, and tribal fisheries management agreement. While there exists no binding, centralized authority to compel cooperative fishery management on the Great Lakes, the jurisdictions realize that the Great Lakes fishery is interconnected and the actions of one jurisdiction affect the others. To manage the resource in this unique setting, the sub-national governments developed and adhere to The Joint Strategic Plan, an agreement that calls for cooperation among the jurisdictions, development of shared fish community objectives, data sharing, and adherence to ecosystem management.

The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), responsible for protecting and enhancing the environment in England. It regulates the transfer of raw water, disposal of waste and the movement of fish; all of which have a high potential to spread invasive species and therefore need to be regulated accordingly.

The government ambition for the environment is described within the Environment Improvement Plan, which identifies the need to enhance biosecurity as one of its ten primary goals. This includes the interim Environment Act target to reduce the rate of establishment of invasive non-native species by at least 50% by December 2030, compared to 2000 levels. The Environment Agency is the lead agency for the eradication of priority invasive species that impact the freshwater environment.

In 2005, the Agency established a specialist team dedicated to eradicating non-native fish species. Using Rotenone and innovative delivery methods, the team has treated a wide range of sites, from small one-acre ponds to large multi-lake angling complexes, fish farms, and open stream systems. The team has successfully removed the only known English populations of black bullhead catfish and fat-head minnow. Over the past 21 years, the EA has completed more than 30 chemical eradication operations targeting topmouth gudgeon. Despite the scale and complexity of this work, results to date show that complete eradication of topmouth gudgeon from England remains achievable.

The Environment Agency also coordinates the eradication of invasive aquatic plants. It has eradicated the only known wild population of Various leaved water milfoil Myriophyllum heterophyllum and is currently in the process of coordinating the eradication of the 60 recorded sites of water primrose Ludwigia grandiflora.

The EA’s National Laboratory Service is also developing eDNA capabilities to support new detection tools, rapid response capabilities, and robust long-term management of aquatic invasive species.

Strengthening Canada–United States Transboundary Water Cooperation through the International Joint Commission

For more than a century, under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, the International Joint Commission (IJC) has anchored water cooperation between Canada and the United States (US).

Mandated to help prevent and resolve disputes over shared waters, the IJC has two main responsibilities: approving projects that affect water levels or flows across the border, and recommending solutions to complex transboundary issues at the request of the two governments. The IJC’s success is rooted in its impartial, science based approach to decision-making, its strong commitment to public engagement, and in the fact that Commissioners from both countries strive to reach decisions by consensus. This model has supported stable, predictable cross-border relations.

The IJC works through more than 15 boards focused on individual watersheds along the border. These boards increasingly use an ecosystem approach, with responsibilities that include regulating water levels and flows, water apportionment, flood mitigation, water quality, and ecosystem protection, among others. Several boards advise the IJC in its role under the Canada–US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, a framework globally recognized for its success protecting and restoring Great Lakes water quality.

Water issues require locally tailored solutions, yet communities worldwide face similar challenges like algal blooms and extreme water level variability. The IJC values opportunities to exchange knowledge with other joint bodies and river basin organizations, as we work to strengthen freshwater stewardship in our respective regions.