B.16. MONTANA AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN 
B.16.1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF MONTANA’S PLAN 
Montana’s Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Management Plan was written by the ANS 
Technical Committee (available at http://www.anstaskforce.gov/Montana-FINAL PLAN.pdf ). 
The goal of the Management Plan is to minimize ANS impacts through prevention and 
management of introduction, population growth, and dispersal. The goal is supported by six 
objectives to (1) coordinate and implement the Management Plan; (2) prevent ANS 
introductions; (3) detect, monitor, and eradicate new ANS; (4) control and eradicate established 
ANS; (5) communicate about ANS risks and impacts; and (6) increase and disseminate 
knowledge of ANS. The Management Plan includes implementation tables, expected funding, 
and monitoring and evaluation of the Plan’s implementation. 
B.16.2. CLIMATE CHANGE AND AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES IN MONTANA 
Temperatures in the Great Plains region are projected to rise as much as 3°F (1.5°C) in 
the summer and 4°F (2°C) in the winter by 2030. However, even these relatively small changes 
in temperature or precipitation (5 to 10% decline) could have significant effects on water quality, 
particularly salinity, and the availability of groundwater resources in the region (Covich et al., 
1997). With higher temperatures and evaporation rates, stream and lake water levels may be 
lower in the summer. The warmer climate also could cause earlier snowmelt in the spring, 
resulting in higher stream flows in the winter and spring and lower ones in the summer and fall. 
A large decrease in water levels could lead to shift in salinity and productivity in prairie pothole 
lakes and wetlands. 
Increased water temperatures can be an added stressor for fish, potentially resulting in 
increased fish mortality from non-native bacterial fish pathogens, such as Aeromonas 
salmonicida , which already are present in some Montana watersheds. The decline of native 
salmonids may facilitate the spread of non-native fish such as bass and walleye (already present 
in the state and used for sport fishing, but still under careful management to prevent spread). 
B.16.3. THE MONTANA PLAN’S CURRENT INTEGRATION OF CLIMATE 
CHANGE 
Table B-15 summarizes how the Montana ANS Management Plan addresses and 
incorporates the projected effects of climate change. The Management Plan does not specifically 
address the effects of climate change on its management objectives, but some elements in the 
Plan allow for changing conditions to be considered in implementation of the Plan. 
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