Herbicides: The “Terminator” of Aquatic Invaders

By Alyssa Broderick
Wharton High School, Tampa

Among the buzz of the “gator nation,” behind the overwhelming Ben Hill Griffin stadium, and in the wake of a college town, there lies Lake Alice. It not only hosts scientific research for the whole university and provides a scenic distraction for daily joggers but is also considered a “hot spot” for invasive species. On June 19, specialists like Dr. Mike Netherland, an associate professor at the University of Florida, gathered at the mouth of Lake Alice to educate students on the impact of these harmful species.

Netherland, who specializes in the study and development of invasive plant species management, was there to inform the students about chemical and herbicidal technology to control invaders in the lake. He expounded on the danger of invasive plants to a functioning ecosystem, which other specialists covered in more detail, and explained his role in the scientific development of herbicides.

“There are only 12 products that can be legally used as aquatic herbicides. This puts limits on what we can accomplish but it is easily determined through the products’ labels—practically a legal document,” Netherland said.

The sole purpose of an herbicide is to inhibit and control the growth of pesty native species, but more specifically invasive species. The labels that Dr. Netherland mentioned includes every detail about a specific aquatic herbicide like a limit on how much can be used before it is harmful, the minimum amount to be potentially effective, restrictions in special water types, and how long the chemical must dissolve before the water is again potable.

“The main goal of herbicides in aquatic ecosystems is to terminate some floating plants. We do this mostly through airboat spraying,” Netherland said.

On Lake Alice, Water Hyacinth, Hydrilla, and Water Lettuce are the most common plants that invade the natural flow of the lake’s ecosystem. But the university’s lake is not the only body of water affected by invasive plants.

“Florida has several thousand lakes and other bodies of water that range from 100 acres, like Lake Alice, to about 35,000 acres, like those found in the Kissimmee chain,” Netherland explained.

With invasive plants becoming such an issue for Florida water systems, it is the job of specialists, like Netherland, to come up with effective ways to control the species and prevent the herbicides from attacking non-targeted species. The most successful methods of doing this include airboats and the use of GPS to make sure only targeted species are hit by the chemicals.

Thanks to years of research, herbicide and chemical specialists, like Dr. Netherland, are continually expanding on the knowledge and methods included in the termination of invasive species that can be potentially dangerous to natural wildlife by competing for food and a habitat. The specialists and their handy range of herbicide chemicals are the future of Florida’s ecosystems, like Lake Alice, and the terminators of silent but deadly aquatic plants.