Invasive Species

With the support of a GLRI grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Great Lakes Commission, in partnership with the National Sea Grant Law Center, launched an online resource called AquaSale. The new database compiles regulations for aquatic organisms across all 50 states, making it easier for online sellers and buyers to determine where species may be legally sold, purchased or transported.

Projects such as new invasive crayfish curriculum, the Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Toxin Risk Forecast, and Environmental Sensitivity Index maps were implemented in 2025 to help address Great Lakes Restoration Initiative priorities throughout the basin.

The Great Lakes Commission released a request for proposals to support the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework. Groups can apply for funding to implement specific combinations of approaches on which data is lacking to help improve future guidance under the Framework. Funding for the program is provided under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Using funding provided from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Great Lakes Commission’s 21 grants will help local organizations better control one of the most aggressive invasive plants in the Great Lakes basin.

Filter testing at Great Waters Research Collaborative land-based facility leads to design improvements for shipboard filters.

The Great Lakes are one of the most unique freshwater ecosystems in the world – but are also heavily threatened by biological invaders. Aquatic invasive and nuisance species are the plants and animals from other regions of the globe that accidentally get brought to the Great Lakes, potentially destroying the local ecosystem. Many species pose a significant threat to the Great Lakes environment and economy, from sea lamprey that devastate prized fisheries, zebra mussels that encrust underwater infrastructure, and aquatic weeds that entangle boat motors and swimmers alike.

Using eDNA to detect new Great Lakes invasive species.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation lead a project funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to control invasive species and enhance wetland restoration at the mouth of the Four Mile Creek.

March 2025 - Federal, state, and local agencies celebrate significant progress in Lake Erie’s shoreline expansion through the implementation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program and support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Feral swine are a highly destructive invasive species with populations that have expanded across the country, resulting in damage to a wide range of resource types. Wildlife biologists and field specialists from USDA Wildlife Services work to reduce feral swine damage by providing technical assistance and conducting targeted management activities in the field.