Biosecurity
Background
A new problem over recent years is the invasion of non-native freshwater plants and animals which are now threatening the Lake District’s wildlife. These invasive non-native species are a problem because they are tough invaders, which can out-compete native species and once established they can be complicated to kill or to control.
New Zealand Pigmyweed is one such alien invasive species and, in Derwent Water it’s growth has led to thick mats of vegetation across the lake bed, out-competing the native species like Water Plantain (which are on the Biodiversity Action Plan red list of species under threat). New Zealand Pigmyweed is also covering up the spawning gravels for the UK’s rarest freshwater fish, the Vendace, which only survives in Derwent Water and one other lake in England
Responsibility
Protecting our freshwaters from Invasive Non-Native Species of wildlife (INNS) is something everyone undertaking the Frog Whitton has a responsibility towards. Freshwater INNS are able to ‘hitchhike’ on equipment, footwear, clothing and boats and, when moving to a new river, tarn or lake, a species may be transferred and may become established, often having devastating effects. New Zealand Pigmyweed can survive in a damp fold of a wetsuit for weeks.
You can help to prevent the spread of freshwater hitchhikers by following a simple three step process every time you leave any pond, stream or lake…. CHECK, CLEAN and DRY.
CHECK – that you’re not carrying any weed on your kit before you load it into the car. Washing your wetsuit, stand up paddle board or canoe with lake water on the lakeshore before you leave will help the weed stay put.
CLEAN – clean your kit when you get home; but don’t do this in the bath or the washing machine where the weed could go down the drain and infect nearby rivers! A bucket in the garden works well, where the weed will get washed onto the ground and eventually dry out and die.
DRY – make sure your wetsuit or canoe is thoroughly dry before you use it in a different water body. New Zealand Pigmyweed can survive for weeks in a damp crevice, but will die if it dries out.
What to do on the Frog Whitton
The simplest prevention solution on the Frog Whitton is to use different swim equipment for each lake. This means having several wetsuits/swim caps/goggles in your support vehicle which are clean and dry for each swim. Upon exiting from a lake wet gear should be stored carefully away from other clothing so that it can be washed and dried later.
If it isn’t possible to use a new suit every time then there are toilets at Aira Force car park after the Ullswater swim so the suit can be washed there and used in Derwentwater. Given the particular emphasis on preventing the spread of New Zealand Pigmyweed from Derwentwater it is absolutely essential to use different swim equipment in Derwentwater and Crummockwater.
Further information
Further advice from the Lake District National Park is here https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/policies/alien-2
Further advice from the Non-native Species Secretariat http://www.nonnativespecies.org/checkcleandry/
Further advice from the National Trust https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/borrowdale-and-derwent-water/features/new-zealand-pigmyweed--the-scourge-of-derwent-water