Missouri

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) fisheries biologists say that the Show-Me-State has another aquatic invader to be on the watch for. It's already been detected in the Mississippi River near St. Louis—and anglers might be the first line of defense. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is native to the Black and Caspian Seas between Europe and Asia and was brought to the U.S. by way of the Great Lakes in cargo ship ballast. Since then, the invasive fish has made its way down the Illinois River and has been confirmed just across the Mississippi at Alton, Illinois. MDC encourages anglers to take photos and email MDC with details if they encounter any round gobies. Anglers should report the sighting and email photos to MDCgoby@mdc.mo.gov.

Report feral hogs, don't shoot them. The take of feral hogs is prohibited on conservation areas and other lands owned, leased, or managed by the Conservation Department. Hunting hogs on other lands is strongly discouraged. Instead, report feral hog sightings to 573-522-4115, extension 3296 or use the Feral Hog Sighting and Damage Report. The Conservation Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, along with other partners and hundreds of private landowners, are working to eradicate feral hogs in Missouri. When hunters shoot feral hogs, it complicates efforts to remove these pests. Hogs are social animals that travel in groups called sounders. Shooting one or two hogs scatters the sounder and makes trapping efforts aimed at catching the entire group at once more difficult, because hogs become trap-shy and more wary of baited sites. With their high reproductive rate, removing one or two hogs does not help to reduce populations. Anyone who observes a feral hog or damage caused by feral hogs should report it to the Conservation Department rather than shooting the animal so we can work together towards eradication.

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Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an exotic, invasive, wood-boring insect that infests and kills native North American ash trees, both in forests and landscape plantings. With EAB now in several areas of the Show-Me State - and its ability to hitchhike on firewood - the probability of it spreading to noninfected areas in the state is high.

Although not yet detected here, thousand cankers disease (TCD) is a potentially fatal disease of black walnut, caused by the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis) and an associated fungus (Geosmithia morbida). TCD could easily spread to Missouri from the several eastern and western states where TCD is already present. You can help minimize the chances of spreading TCD by following these steps:

• Don't move firewood
• Don't transport walnut for woodworking (including buying walnut wood over the Internet)
• Promptly report dead or dying walnut trees