Through the Aquatic Invasive Species Annex of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the United States and Canada have committed to:
“… contribute to the achievement of the General and Specific Objectives of this Agreement. Through this Annex the Parties shall establish a binational strategy to prevent the introduction of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS), to control or reduce the spread of existing AIS, and to eradicate, where feasible, existing AIS within the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem.”
Canada and the United States agree to:
For additional information on the focus of actions under this Annex, consult the current Priorities for Science and Action. The Priorities are based on an evaluation of the State of the Great Lakes, with input from the Great Lakes Executive Committee, participants at the Great Lakes Public Forum, and recommendations of the International Joint Commission.
Every six months, progress on this annex is reported at the Great Lakes Executive Committee meetings. Accomplishments will be described in the Progress Report of the Parties every three years, with the first expected in 2016.
Implementation of this annex is co-led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Additional participants include:
An extended subcommittee involves additional organizations and experts beyond the GLEC membership.
As required, time-limited task teams will be created to focus efforts on a priority issue or project, and will be disbanded when work is complete. Currently, this Annex subcommittee has task teams that focus on:
Task Team | Purpose |
---|---|
Early Detection | Identify priority surveillance locations and develop a comprehensive early detection and monitoring strategy for the Great Lakes by 2015. |
Pathways Risk Assessment and Management | Share risk assessment/analyses processes being used, and conduct one pathway risk assessment/analysis. |
Response | Develop a comprehensive response plan to be implemented in the event of any newly detected aquatic invasive species. Results of any response plan exercises or actual response actions, if needed, will be summarized, and reported. |
Species Risk Assessment | Share species risk assessment processes being used by regulatory authorities and others, and coordinate risk assessments for a list of priority species. |