Invasive Species

Poorly regulated trade opens door to invasive species

A trip to the pet store is a glimpse at the diversity of animals from all over the world. However, lack of import screening means these animals pose one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the Great Lakes.

The pet, aquarium, food, and bait industries have long imported live animals to Canada and the United States. Inevitably, once in private hands, some of these animals end up on our lands and in our waters after escaping from captivity or being dumped by the owner.

Most of these non-native animals survive temporarily, eventually dying out. But others can flourish and cause serious environmental, health, and economic problems. Not only can the species itself spread—outcompeting and eating our native wildlife or fundamentally altering natural systems—they can also carry exotic diseases and harmful parasites.

For example, Asian carp, once confined to southeastern aquaculture ponds, are thriving in the Mississippi River basin. The fish escaped decades ago during major floods, and are now working their way north to Lake Michigan. Today, the last hurdle keeping these giant, destructive fish out of the Great Lakes is an electric barrier.
Another examples is the northern snakehead fish imported for the specialty food market and the pet trade, has been found in the wild in the Great Lakes basin, and an established population is now disrupting the ecology of the Potomac River in Maryland and Virginia.

Invasive animals are jeopardizing many endangered and threatened species. In the U.S., more than 400 of the 1,352 species protected under the Endangered Species Act are at risk, in part, because of the negative toll of non-native species.

In Canada, 16% of species surveyed by the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council are not native to the country. For example, two of Canada’s 11 crayfish species are non-native. The Rusty Crayfish and the Obscure Crayfish were introduced into Ontario as fish bait and now also occur in Quebec. The Rusty Crayfish has spread rapidly across Ontario and has eliminated native crayfish from many lakes and rivers.

The Solution Lies in Strengthening Regulations

Neither Canada nor the United States require that imported animal species be screened to understand their potential to become an invasive species. This lack of policy flies in the face of both common sense and scientific recommendations. The need for such a process has been noted in every major report on invasive species policy for more than a decade.

In the U.S., the Lacey Act, the current law governing animal imports, gives the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) limited power to declare species “injurious” and prohibit their importation to the United States. This approach, adopted 108 years ago, is excruciatingly slow. On average, it takes about four years to complete so far and only about 40 species have been listed. Experts repeatedly say this law is ineffective.

Recently introduced in Congress, the Non-native Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act would require the FWS to first assess the potential risks associated with a species proposed for import before deciding whether to allow or prohibit it. This proactive approach will keep potentially harmful animals out by implementing pre-import screening for potentially all imported animals. If enacted, it would be one of the most important policy advances the U.S. has ever made toward blocking imports of harmful invasive species.

Canada is signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which says that parties shall prevent invasive species and recommends precaution when intentionally importing animals and plants. Environment Canada’s Canadian Biodiversity Strategy calls for federal and provincial governments to take all necessary steps to prevent the introduction of harmful alien organisms. A variety of legislation and policies already apply to the importation of alien species into Canada and their movement once they are in the country. Unfortunately, all current legislation is also inadequate in that not one imposes a precautionary pre-importation screening requirement. Without pre-import screening organisms will be in the country before their threat is understood. By then, it is often too late.

One opportunity to change this is in the Fisheries Act of Canada. Dating back to Confederation, the Fisheries Act has since evolved to be a preeminent piece of environmental protection legislation for fish-bearing waters and fish habitat in Canada. Since 2006, legislative overhauls to the Fisheries Act have been proposed by the federal government. Unfortunately, the proposed changes would weaken habitat protection and undermine, rather than protect, fisheries. The lack of adequate consultation on the development of the new bill has also closed the door proper public engagement.

The overhaul bills contain a new section on screening of imports, but fail to articulate a proactive pre-screening approach such as that recommended in the Convention on Biological Diversity, and being pursued in the U.S. Congress. The serious controversy associated with the Fisheries Act overhaul would have to be addressed, and the screening section would need to be significantly modified for this bill to provide Canada the protections necessary to keep out potentially harmful species.

© 2008 Great Lakes News.