Squam Lakes Association’s Post

Transcript

Recently, New Hampshire DHS announced that the Spiny water flea had been identified in Lake Winnipesaukee. The Spiny water flea is an invasive species that is a kind of zooplankton. It's a microscopic animal that can disturb the base of the food web. Once it's established into a water body, it cannot be removed. We have been working very hard to eradicate into keep at Bay and aquatic invasive plant variable milfoil. We do this with diving. Spiny water flea cannot be dealt with in the same way that an aquatic plant can. If it were to be established into squam or be introduced into Squam Lake, White Oak Pond, or Little Squam, it would be able to go unimpeded until it spreads out throughout the whole entire lake and it's devastating the base of the food web. Cutting off food supply to the local zoo plankton would dramatically impact the macro invertebrate and fish populations. It may also have an impact on the clarity of the water. That we see. So I implore every single community member, when you go to a boat ramp, if you see a lake host there, interact with them, fill out their survey, give them information, let them know where you were. But I also ask that everybody clean, drain and dry your boats. If you are coming from a different body of water to launch into a public access area on squam, please make sure that your boat has been clean, drained and dry and there is no excessive ballast in there that could potentially be carrying this invasive species. Once it is in squam, it cannot be removed. We all have to do our part and it is important that every single person band together to prevent this invasive species from getting in.