It has been taking over fields, roadside signs, fences, trees, and even houses in the United States for years, but now, the kudzu vine (Pueraria montana) has been discovered in Ontario, on the shores of Lake Erie near the town of Leamington.

The kudzu vine is a native of Eastern Asia, and was first brought to North America in 1876 for a centennial exhibition. It was later used for erosion control and promoted as a forage crop. Eventually, it took over much of the southern states and despite attempts to stop it, has continued to spread northward.

“We have been watching the kudzu vine move toward Canada for some time now, with great apprehension. Our colleagues in the south have been fighting a tough battle with this invader, so we need to take immediate action in Ontario to stop kudzu in its tracks,” says Rachel Gagnon, Coordinator of the O.I.P.C. (Ontario Invasive Plant Council), a collective of organizations collaborating to address the spread of alien invasive plants in Ontario. “Fortunately, it’s been found early, so unlike previous invaders, such as dog strangling vine, we have the potential to eradicate kudzu and protect Ontario’s biodiversity. Controlling this menace is critical to maintaining our native plants and wildlife habitat. If we let kudzu become established, it will cause untold ecological and economic damage.”

Like all other invasive species, when the vine takes to its new environment it spreads quickly at the expense of native species, including trees, which are girdled by the vine; broken by its weight; or killed by lack of light. The kudzu grows at an astounding rate of 30 centimeters (one foot) per day, and in a single season can grow up 30 meters (90 feet) in length.

Control measures include hand cutting, mowing, controlled burns and herbicide. Grazing animals, such as goats and pigs have also been effective at containing the spread of the vine over the long term.

The O.I.P.C. is a non-profit, multi-agency organization that facilitates a coordinated response to the threat of invasive plants. The council provides leadership, expertise and a forum to educate, motivate and empower organizations and citizens.

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Ontario’s largest nonprofit, fish and wildlife conservation organization, houses the O.I.P.C. and supports its efforts. Visit www.ofah.org to learn more about the O.F.A.H.

To report a sighting of the kudzu vine or any other invasive species, call the O.F.A.H./M.N.R. Invading Species Hotline at 1-800-563-7711.

Visit www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca to download a fact sheet on the kudzu vine, or to learn more about other invasive plants.

*OFAH press release used with permission

In order to study fish populations one method researchers used to immobilize the fish was a gill net. The problem with using a gill net is that they have a high fish mortality rate. It can seem like a high price to pay for the sake of research and study. Now, fish biologists have a better option at their disposal.

The Winnipeg Free Press reports that Conservation Officials in Manitoba now have the ‘Electro Boat’ available for their water systems. The silver, ‘amped-up’ boat was unveiled at the Mid-Canada Boat Show in Winnipeg. The paper reports that,

“The boat will replace gill nets in fisheries research that tend to result in high fish kills. The Electro Boat will not so much stun fish as render them unable to swim away. The fish make full recovery as soon as the current is switched off. The current is run into the water using two booms extending three meters from the bow, creating a three-by-three-metre electrical field between the booms and the bow. Fish are then scooped out with nets into a recovery tank for study.” Entire Article Here

That my friends is the beauty of science.

Invasive species may have a new enemy to contend with in Ontario Lakes. An angler fishing in the Little Bluf Conservation Area (south of Picton, ON) snapped a photo of a watersnake chomping back a goby! Visit his website for the whole story and a larger photo. Gobies are one of the invasive species impacting Ontario fishing opportunities. What are some others? Continue Reading

Pathogen stalks Great Lakes fish
Toronto Star – Toronto,Ontario,Canada
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and other fishing groups had strongly opposed the closing, and the scientific evidence wasn’t strong enough to

What happens when you hit a moose with a transport
SooToday.com – USA
A loyal SooToday.com reader sent us some photos she took of the damage to a transport that collided with a moose on Saturday night just below the Mile Hill.

Nova Scotia moose hunters bag 305 animals in annual fall hunt for 2006
The Daily News – Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada
HALIFAX (CP) – The Nova Scotia government says the results of the 2006 moose hunt in Cape Breton are impressive. Nearly 90 per cent of the 345 licensed

Man fined for fishing out of season
YorkRegion.com – Keswick,Ontario,Canada
Constantine Sokolowski, 58, pleaded guilty and has his fishing licence suspended for six months. Sokolowski is a repeat offender, according to a Ministry of Natural Resources

Rescue Turns to Recovery for Fisherman
WSTM-TV – Syracuse,NY,USA
He went ice fishing on the dangerously thin ice of Lake Ontario Monday evening and he hasn’t been seen since. His new pickup truck was found near a tavern

OFAH Warns of Potential Disaster for Future of Ontario Fisheries
“Any decision by the MNR to arbitrarily halt the collection of eggs, ban baitfish or eliminate the movement of fish in traditional waterways would spell disaster for the future of rainbow trout in Lake Ontario and surrounding waters,”

Study: Shotguns not safer for deer hunting
Allentown Morning Call – Allentown,PA,USA
Myth: Many people, including state hunting regulators, long have assumed shotguns are safer than rifles for deer hunting because shotgun slugs don’t travel … (Bill’s call on this: guns are safe when the operator is sure of their target)

A virus is starting to spread in Ontario Fisheries and Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources is doing something about it.

The virus is called,Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). There are 37 types of baitfish that have been know to carry the virus to many parts of the world. You may recognize the names of these carrier species like emerald shiners and bluntnose minnows.

The Huntsville Forester has a great article outlining specifics about the measures the MNR is taking:

Bait fish can no longer be commercially harvested in the infected zone, south of highways 401 and 402, and cannot be brought north of those highways.

In the buffer zone, which extends north from the 401 and 402 to the Severn River and across the top of Lake Couchiching, bait fish can be harvested and used, but cannot be moved to the virus-free zone, which includes Muskoka and most of northern Ontario.

Read the Entire Informative Article

The MNR’s initiatives will impact those in the commercial bait fishing industry. So I hope (and trust) that this threat is real and science based in order to quickly obliterate this virus into ‘nothingness’.