We are the Coast Guard
Auxiliary's core team of
specialists in Marine Safety and
Environmental Protection. Our
principal Mission is to support
the marine safety and
environmental protection
programs and activities of the
United States Coast Guard and to
train and support members of the
Coast Guard Auxiliary who join
us.
A
Message from DSO-MS W. Cummings:
Welcome and thank you for visiting
District 9ER Marine Safety and
Environmental Protection website. I hope
you will find this site informative and
that it will answer some of your
questions about the auxiliary role in
Marine Safety.
The Marine Safety field offers you new
and exciting opportunities that can take
you beyond the traditional roles
performed by the Auxiliary such as
search and rescue, and boating safety.
As a member of our Marine Safety team
you can receive training and become
qualified to conduct Harbor Patrols,
conduct presentations pertaining to
America's Waterway Watch, or Sea
Partners. Maybe you will find yourself
enforcing safety zones, or visiting
marinas and performing Marpol V checks.
You may be a Vessel Examiner and would
like to be qualified in the UPV program,
think of the added opportunities that
inspecting charter boats would bring.
Maybe it is administrative duties that
you like; you can aid the daily
operations by conducting watchstander
duties and aiding in pollution case
preparation. There is a lot to do and
something for everyone. Don't find
yourself left at the dock, get on board
and become part of 9ER Marine Safety
Team Today!
W. Cummings
DSO-MS 9ER
A Mesage
from SO-MS W. Bauch
I look forward to spreading the marine
safety message. If you have any ideas
or would like to get involved, please
contact me.
Hemimysis anomala
The “bloody-red shrimp” Hemimysis anomala, is a new aquatic invader first reported in the Great Lakes from samples collected in Muskegon, Michigan in November of 2006. It is a small shrimp-like crustacean (order Mysidacea) native to the low-salinity margins of the Black Sea, the Azov Sea and the eastern Caspian Sea and most likely was brought into the Great Lakes via ballast tanks. Mysids are also used by aquarists as a high-nutrition food for aquarium fish, although we have not found any records that Hemimysis is used this way. Mysids are often called opossum shrimp because females typically carry their eggs in a pouch. These Mysids are free-swimming when not resting on the bottom or other surfaces and have eight pairs of legs rather than the five typically found on larger shrimps and other decapods. This species appears to have established multiple reproducing populations in the Great Lakes. The impact of this species on the Great Lakes is yet unknown, but based on its history of invasion across Europe, significant impacts are possible.
Photo Credit: Photo Credits: NOAA, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.
The NOAA National Center for Research on Aquatic Invasive Species (NCRAIS) is coordinating a rapid research response to define the range, distribution, and impact of Hemimysis anomala in the Great Lakes. Help is needed to document and prevent the spread of this species! Hemimysis anomala is difficult to locate because it is nocturnal, preferring to hide in rocky cracks and crevices near the bottom along the shoreline during daylight. This species sometimes exhibits swarming behavior, especially in late summer, forming small dense reddish-tinged clouds containing thousands of individuals concentrated in one location and visible just below the waters surface in a shallow zone. This is the basis for a new survey and monitoring program being established which is asking for public assistance in locating other occurrences of this organism. Click here (Hemimysis Survey and Monitoring Network ) for information about how to participate and report your observations.
This Page was last updated on Wednesday February 10, 2010
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