Notice2026-03819
Draft Revised National Management and Control Plan for New Zealand Mudsnail
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 26, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability of the draft revised National Management and Control Plan for New Zealand Mudsnail (2026 NZMS plan). We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, Federal agencies, and other relevant parties.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9637-9638]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-03819]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-FAC-2026-N065; FXFR13360900000-267-FF09F14000]
Draft Revised National Management and Control Plan for New
Zealand Mudsnail
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability
of the draft revised National Management and Control Plan for New
Zealand Mudsnail (2026 NZMS plan). We invite comment from the public
and local, State, Tribal, Federal agencies, and other relevant parties.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 13, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: An electronic copy of the draft revised 2026
NZMS plan is available at <a href="https://www.fws.gov/media/draft-revised-national-management-and-control-plan-new-zealand-mudsnail">https://www.fws.gov/media/draft-revised-national-management-and-control-plan-new-zealand-mudsnail</a>.
Submitting Written Comments: Please send written comments using one
of the following methods:
<bullet> Email (preferred method): <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#771619040316041c11180514123711000459101801"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="066768757267756d60697465634660717528616970">[email protected]</span></a>. Please
include your name and return mailing address in your email message.
<bullet> U.S mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters
Office, Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls
Church, VA 22041-3803 (Attn: Donald MacLean, Fish and Aquatic
Conservation, USFWS HQ--MS:FAC).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Pasko, Executive Secretary,
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80f3f5f3e1eedff0e1f3ebefc0e6f7f3aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0c7f797f6d62537c6d7f67634c6a7b7f226b637a">[email protected]</span></a>,
or via phone at (571) 623-0608. Individuals in the United States who
are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANSTF) is an
intergovernmental organization dedicated to preventing and controlling
aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and coordinating governmental efforts of
the United States with the private sector and other North American
interests. The ANSTF was established by Congress with the passage of
the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990
(NANPCA; Pub. L. 101-646, 104 Stat. 4761, 16 U.S.C. 4701-4741), and
reauthorized with the passage of the National Invasive Species Act of
1996 (NISA; Pub. L. 104-332, 110 Stat. 4073). Section 1201(d) of NANPCA
designates the Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and
the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the ANSTF co-
chairpersons. The ANSTF is regulated by the Federal Advisory Committee
Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C. Ch. 10), which provides the ANSTF with its core
structure and ensures an open and public forum for its activities.
Membership of the ANSTF consists of 13 Federal agency representatives
and 12 representatives from ex-officio member organizations who work in
conjunction with 6 regional panels and issue-specific subcommittees to
meet the challenges of developing and implementing a coordinated and
complementary Federal program for ANS activities.
The NANPCA (as amended by NISA, 1996) establishes that the ANSTF is
responsible for coordination of national efforts to prevent the
introduction and spread of ANS. These responsibilities include the
development of species management and control plans for high-risk
invasive species. These plans focus on tasks that are essential to
prevent spread into additional habitats and minimize the impact to
areas where the species have already invaded. The plans are developed
through a cooperative process and undergo review by the ANSTF members
and regional panels. Successful implementation of these plans requires
the participation of States, regional and Tribal entities, Federal
agencies, and other relevant parties.
History of the National New Zealand Mudsnail Management and Control
Plan
The New Zealand mudsnail (NZMS; Potamopyrgus antipodarum) is not
native to the United States. The species causes economic and
environmental harm; thus, it is considered an invasive species. This
species was first detected in North America in the Snake River Basin
(Idaho) in 1987, with a second population identified in Lake Ontario
(New York) in 1991. By 2007, NZMS were established in all the western
states except New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii, as well as in Lake
Ontario, Lake Superior, and Lake Erie in the Great Lakes region.
Recognizing the species' potential for negative ecological, economic,
and cultural impacts and its expanding geographic range, the ANSTF
initiated the formation of a NZMS control committee, which developed
the first National Management and Control Plan for New Zealand Mudsnail
(2007 NZMS plan), which was approved by the ANSTF in 2007. For 17
years, the plan guided natural resource managers on NZMS management and
served as a reference for regional efforts. The spread of NZMS,
however, has continued in the West. In the Eastern United States, the
extent of the spread appears to be less, or at least less documented
and reported. NZMS have yet to be detected in the Plains, Gulf, and
South Atlantic States, and Alaska and Hawaii.
In June 2021, the ANSTF Control Subcommittee recommended that the
2007 NZMS plan be updated to reflect the current knowledge, range, and
control options of the species. In 2022, the NZMS Working Group was re-
established to revise and update the 2007 NZMS plan. Input on
development of the updated plan was sought through multiple forums and,
where appropriate, incorporated into the draft revised 2026 NZMS plan.
The draft 2026 NZMS plan was submitted to the ANSTF on November 7,
2024, and was approved to be announced via the Federal Register for
public comment. Distribution of the 2026 NZMS plan for public comment,
and the consideration of comments received, are the final steps before
the ANSTF can consider the plan for final approval (NANPCA).
[[Page 9638]]
Proposed Updates to the 2007 Management and Control Plan for the New
Zealand Mudsnail
This revised plan is necessary to guide protection of the remaining
uninfested waters of the United States, using continued prevention
efforts, containment of NZMS in infested waters and facilities, and,
where feasible, population suppression and eradication. While the
geographic scope of the plan is focused on the continental United
States and Hawaii, the objectives and actions identified within the
plan may also be applicable to the U.S. unincorporated territories and
outlying islands.
NZMS can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions and
produce many offspring, resulting in extremely dense populations when
favorable conditions are present. Dense colonies of NZMS outcompete
other aquatic organisms for forage and space, leading to declines in
native biodiversity. By consuming vast amounts of organic matter and
algae, NZMS alter nutrient cycling processes in aquatic systems,
potentially reducing water quality. Directly impacted organisms include
native mollusks (snails, mussels, and clams), as well as
macroinvertebrates and periphyton (organisms that attach to underwater
surfaces, such as algae, microbes, etc.) that serve as a primary food
source for a wide range of aquatic organisms, including fish and
amphibians. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2015 Ecological Risk
Screening Summary for the New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus
antipodarum) predicts that West, Midwest, and Northeast regions of the
contiguous United States are suitable for NZMS based on the known
infested range, history of invasiveness, and climate matching analysis.
The 2026 NZMS plan reassesses, identifies, and prioritizes NZMS
management actions for 2026 and beyond, based on the collective
knowledge and experience gained over the past 17 years. In addition, it
provides the current known distribution of NZMS in the United States
and information about past and current containment efforts. This plan
serves as a resource for information on NZMS prevention, containment,
and control for those developing prevention programs, proactively
planning, or responding to a NZMS detection. In all circumstances,
responses to NZMS are optimized when tailored to the unique
environmental setting and efforts are collaborative and coordinated
relative to the diverse interests and authorities underlying the
management of ANS.
While important information gaps remain, collective experience has
allowed the working group to revisit and refine the 2007 plan, which
now includes 3 goals, 6 objectives, 19 specific strategies, and 46
actions to prevent the further spread of NZMS and suppress existing
populations. Specifically, the goals of the plan are as follows:
A. Protect native species, their habitats, environmental quality,
and the economy from negative impacts resulting from NZMS.
B. Equip and mobilize all entities that have relevant authorities,
responsibilities, and/or interests in avoiding and mitigating the
spread and impacts of NZMS.
C. Establish a framework for the ANSTF to lead efforts and
collaborate with States, Tribes, and local agencies to respond to and
minimize the impacts of NZMS.
While the goals of the 2007 NZMS plan were focused on
identification and development of actions, the 2026 NZMS plan
emphasizes the continued implementation of actions in regions where
NZMS are known to be present, as well as engagement and action in
regions where NZMS have limited, or unknown, distributions.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying
information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able
to do so.
Authority
This document is published under the authority of the Nonindigenous
Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (NANPCA; Pub. L.
101-646, 104 Stat. 4761, 16 U.S.C. 4701-4741), as reauthorized with the
passage of the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 (NISA; Pub. L.
104-332, 110 Stat. 4073).
Martha Balis-Larsen,
Acting Co-chair, Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.
[FR Doc. 2026-03819 Filed 2-25-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 26, 2026.
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