B.4. 
CONNECTICUT AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN 
B.4.1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CONNECTICUT’S PLAN 
Connecticut’s Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Management Plan was written by the 
Connecticut ANS Working Group with public input (available at 
http://www.ctiwr.uconn.edu/ProiANS/SubmittedMaterial2005/Material200601/ANS%20Plan%2 
0Final%20Draftl 21905.pdf) . The ANS Working Group is composed of state staff from the 
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Sea Grant College Program, and the 
Connecticut Institute of Water Resources, as well as other state and regional partners. The 
Management Plan’s primary goal is to establish a comprehensive strategy to minimize the 
negative impacts of ANS to the state’s ecology, economy, and public health. Other goals relate 
to preventive strategies based on monitoring and early-detection efforts. The Plan catalogues 
and characterizes existing ANS, including their impacts and costs, and discusses the benefits of 
planned introductions. Research, resource needs, management programs, and funding sources 
are also described. 
B.4.2. CLIMATE CHANGE AND AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES IN 
CONNECTICUT 
Projected increases in annual surface temperatures in the Northeastern region of the 
United States are projected to average 10°F (5.3°C) by 2070. Nearly all model simulations of 
future precipitation show consistent increases in winter precipitation and no change to a decrease 
in summer rainfall. By 2100, precipitation is projected to increase an average of 11 to 14% in 
the winter. Regional sea surface temperatures are projected to increase in accordance with 
regional air temperatures; these increasing temperatures have the potential to expand the range of 
warm-water species northward and permit invasive species to spread into these waters, which 
had previously been previously too cold to allow for invasive species’ survival (Flayhoe et al., 
2007). 
B.4.3. THE CONNECTICUT PLAN’S CURRENT INTEGRATION OF CLIMATE 
CHANGE 
Table B-3 summarizes how the Connecticut ANS Management Plan addresses and 
incorporates the projected effects of climate change. While Connecticut’s Plan does not include 
a strong focus on climate change, changing temperatures, shifting winds and currents, and the 
climatic sensitivities of the region are briefly mentioned in relation to specific species or habitats. 
Many of the research and management tasks stress the importance of carefully monitoring 
changing conditions. 
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