Scientists have been forecasting the introduction of zebra mussels to North America for over a century, and yet these alarm bells were ignored for decades. T.F Nalepa and D.W. Schlosser summarize several of these warnings in the opening of Zebra Mussels- Biology, Impacts and Control (1993, Lewis Publishers, CRC Press Inc, Boca Raton, FL, 810 pp.) Quotes and reference citations from the book are listed in this document.

A map show sitings of zebra and quagga mussels across the United States.

A list of invasive species discovered in the Great Lakes, including species and discovery information.

I am writing on behalf of Great Lakes United to comment on the proposed rulemaking, “Mandatory Ballast Water Management Program for U.S. Waters.” In this proposed rulemaking, the U.S. Coast Guard is “proposing to convert the voluntary ballast water management program into a mandatory ballast water management program” thereby increasing the Coast Guard’s “ability to protect against introductions of new non-indigenous species via ballast water discharge.” In the proposed rulemaking the Coast Guard notes that the mandatory ballast water management program proposed nationwide is already mandatory for vessels entering the Great Lakes.

U.S. efforts to stop the introduction of invasive species have not fully utilized existing authorities and have largely focused on creating a short list of known harmful species to regulate. This approach has not adequately protected our lands, waters and biological diversity. By waiting until species’ potential to damage our ecosystems and economy manifest themselves, we miss the most cost effective – and in some instances the only – window of opportunity to prevent their establishment or eradicate them.

Federal appropriations alone have not provided either adequate or sufficiently flexible funding to address growing problems. Long backlogs of needed but unfunded efforts are typical of federal land management agencies. For example, in 1998, efforts against invasive species cost the National Refuge System $13 million. Today, the backlog of invasive species projects on refuges has increased to more than $150 million. Likewise, the National Park Service cannot control invasive species on 93 percent of its affected lands. Problems are similarly widespread on private land and in the nation’s waters. Control of just one Great Lakes invader, the sea lamprey, costs over $12 million each year.

I am writing on behalf of Great Lakes United regarding the proposed rule to list the silver carp(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) as an injurious species of wildlife under the federal Lacey Act, as published in the June 27, 2003 issue of the Federal Register (Vol. 68, No. 141), RIN 1018-AI87. Great Lakes United supports: Listing of silver carp as an injurious species of wildlife under the federal Lacey Act; expansion of the Lacey Act listing to include other Asian carp species, including the bighead, grass and black carp; removal of species of carp where currently stocked or traded in the U.S.

Testimony of National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing on the Importation of Exotic Species and the Impact on Public Health and Safety.

The member organizations of the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species (NECIS) urge you to co-sponsor the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act (NAISA), S. 770. NAISA will amend and improve the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990.

Invaders are irreparably destroying the environment and our natural heritage, costing an estimated, conservative $138 billion dollars annually, and eroding the quality of life for citizens across the country. Preventing and controlling the spread of aquatic invasive species is not merely an environmental protection issue; aquatic invasive species must be treated as an immediate priority if the United States is to maintain the multitude of benefits its waters provide its citizens, including benefits that most individuals assume as rights, such as clean drinking water, fishing resources and recreational access.