B.13. MASSACHUSETTS AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN 
B.13.1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF MASSACHUSETTS’S PLAN 
The Massachusetts Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Management Plan was created by the 
Massachusetts AIS Working Group and released in 2002 (available at 
http://www.mass.gov/czm/invasives/docs/invasive species plan.pdf) . The overarching goal is to 
minimize impacts of AIS in both marine and freshwater environments. The Plan relies on eight 
objectives to accomplish these goals, including coordination, prevention of new introductions, 
monitoring new AIS and spread of established AIS, detection and eradication, control, 
educations, research, and identification of legislative needs. Massachusetts’s Management Plan 
outlines ninety-nine specific tasks and includes a budget to ensure these tasks are implemented. 
B.13.2. CLIMATE CHANGE AND AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES IN 
MASSACHUSETTS 
Increases in annual air temperatures in the Northeastern region of the United States are 
projected to average 9.5°F (5.3°C) by 2070. Nearly all model simulations of future precipitation 
show increases in winter precipitation (11 to 14% by 2100) and no change to a decrease in 
summer rainfall. Regional sea surface temperatures are anticipated to increase with regional air 
temperatures; increasing temperatures have the potential to expand the range of warm water 
species northward and permit AIS expansion into previously colder waters (Hayhoe et al., 2007). 
State staff are concerned about the potential establishment of various aquatic plants, 
including parrot feather, European frog-bit, and giant salvinia. These and other AIS are moving 
up the East Coast; however, they cannot currently survive Massachusetts’s winter temperatures. 
As waters warm, these species may be able to overwinter and establish in the state. 
B.13.3. THE MASSACHUSETTS PLAN’S CURRENT INTEGRATION OF CLIMATE 
CHANGE 
Table B-12 summarizes how the Massachusetts AIS Management Plan addresses and 
incorporates the projected effects of climate change. Although the Massachusetts Management 
Plan does not explicitly mention climate change, it does address the importance of monitoring 
for changing conditions. 
B.13.4. INCORPORATING CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION 
Massachusetts will experience various impacts from climate change and should 
incorporate climate change concerns into its strategies and actions. Climate change-related data, 
criteria, and models could be incorporated into some aspects of the Massachusetts AIS 
Management Plan. 
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