For May 11, 2018

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1 – Don’t put parrot feather in your pond.

Parrot feather is an invasive aquatic plant that was banned years ago in Michigan, but is still available for sale online and may be in aquariums and water gardens around the state.

Parrot feather likes slow-moving, freshwater habitats like ponds, lakes and tributaries. Rooted plants can grow up to 6 feet long, reduce fish habitat, and make fishing and boating difficult.

Parrot feather has been eradicated at one location in the state and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has control efforts underway at the other two ponds, with the goal of eliminating the plant before it can spread to larger water bodies.  

The DEQ has developed a new video to help people identify and report parrot feather.

For more information, see michigan.gov/invasives.  

2 – Sea lamprey control is planned for a Lake Huron tributary.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will apply lampricides to the Shiawassee River system in Shiawassee and Saginaw counties between May 15 and May 23.

The project is to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom.

Applications will be conducted based on weather and stream conditions and take about three days.  

Sea lamprey larvae turn into parasitic adults that migrate to the Great Lakes and kill fish. 

Infested tributaries must be treated every three to five years to control sea lamprey populations, the Fish and Wildlife Service says.

As with any pesticide, the public is advised to use discretion and minimize unnecessary exposure.

People confining bait fish or other organisms in stream water are advised to use an alternate source. Agricultural irrigation must be suspended for 24 hours, during and following treatment.

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9:30 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR. Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes