Aquatic Invasive Species

David Lung

Professor Cooke

Writing 20- Invasive Aquatic Species

19 March 2010

All for One Regulation and One Regulation for All

Peters and Lodge (2009) suggest there needs to be consistent regulation on a regional scale that goes beyond political boundaries in order to viably control the spread of an invasive species. In their investigation of the spread of rusty crayfish, Peters and Lodge (2009) discovered a large disparity in the regulation of the many invasive crayfish that are present in the Great Lakes region. For the anglers, aquaculture industry, pet industry, and bait dealers, what is illegal varies considerably, making controlling the spread of invasive crayfish difficult since there are many ways for the crayfish to invade new habitats. As a result of policies among states that range from having a total ban on using crayfish to complete freedom of use, invasive crayfish have spread a significant distance over the course of 3 years (Minnesota to Pennsylvania). Acting on Peter and Lodge’s (2009) study, it is necessary to enact regional policies versus political policies.

Peters and Lodge (2009) make an excellent case and in my review of giant salvinia, it is necessary for broad regulation of invasive species instead of a smaller jurisdiction (state, local, etc.) making their own policies that run counter to those of another. Giant salvinia has been listed as a noxious weed in Florida, North Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, California, Arizona, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia. Being listed as a noxious weed, there is a consistent regulation in the Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1975 that prohibits transporting the weed in interstate or foreign commerce. Should each state of had their own policy to deal with giant salvinia, then the spread of the fern may go farther than it already has. Invasive species, as Peters and Lodge (2009) have stated, do not recognize political boundaries nor do they adhere to any laws. As a result, there needs to be a uniform set of regulations over an entire region or an area that an invasive species has currently spread; otherwise, the example set by the invasive crayfish will come to be a common occurrence among all invasive species.

References:

http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/FEDNOX.HTML

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SAMO5

Peters JA, DM Lodge.  2009.  Invasive Species Policy at the Regional Level:  A Multiple Weak Links Problem.  Fisheries 34: 373-381.

Emily Chang

Professor Sandra Cooke

Writing 20

19 March 2010

Invasive Species Policy: The Fight Against the Common Enemy

Every environmental policy implemented in the modern world has its pros and cons. The regulations and restrictions imposed by them always run the risk of altering ecosystems, which includes the introduction of foreign species into certain habitats. Policies dealing with invasive species face various problems that jeopardize the chances of their success. Examples of this that Peters and Lodge (2009) give are inconsistent implementation across different regions and failure to regulate certain nonnative organisms before they harm their surroundings. These two issues are very pertinent to Eurasian watermilfoil because of the extent to which it has spread across North America and the ways in which it has spread.

Because Eurasian watermilfoil can be found in the majority of the fifty states and in several Canadian provinces, it is imperative that the United States and Canada cooperate to devise and impose legislation to control this aquatic plant before it irreversibly harms ecosystems. This cooperation is necessary because without the support of both countries, any such legislation will fail to manage or even eradicate the watermilfoil from the inland bodies of water in which it is established, making these regulations useless. Also, the milfoil has spread via many human processes such as fishing or boating. This means that people can help prevent further dispersal of this aquatic plant to untouched waters. It is clear that human participation in and compliance with the imposed restrictions can make or break legislative watermilfoil control; nevertheless, regulation agencies can better inform the general public through various means, like informative pamphlets and signs. With international, interstate, and “inter-human” cooperation, there is hope to manage and possibly eliminate Eurasian watermilfoil successfully as an aquatic threat.

Peters JA, DM Lodge. 2009. Invasive Species Policy at the Regional Level: A Multiple Weak Links Problem. Fisheries 34:373-381.

Invasive species has become a tremendous problem in recent years, and there have been several attempts to manage this dilemma in various ways. One of the largest problems to solving this issue is the inconsistency of regulation throughout the United States and the world (Peters and Lodge 2009). Various states have implemented regulation of certain species with different levels of regulation. For example, the red swamp crayfish has spread widely to the Great Lakes region. There have also been indications of limited spread to New York, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. This is an important time for management of the red swamp crayfish. However, only Pennsylvania prohibits aquaculture of them. On the other hand, Illinois allows red swamp crayfish to be farmed even though they are only native to the southern part. This inconsistency is a prime example of the multiple weak link problem that allows invasive species to spread further because they can easily travel over state lines through connected water bodies. It will be necessary to establish more regional regulation. Furthermore, alien species management as a whole must learn to be proactive to alien species invasion instead of reactive. It is very difficult to eradicate a species from an area once it has infiltrated the area. Most current regulation is targeted to specific species, but research has shown that targeting specific economic vectors is more effective (Peters and Lodge 2009). I believe that all of these transformations will be vital to efficient management in the future.

Reference List

Peters JA, DM Lodge. 2009. Invasive Species Policy at the Regional Level: A Multiple Weak Links Problem. Fisheries 34:373-381.

Many attempts have been made to try and control the spread of aquatic invasive species and not went as well as intended, one of which being legislative doctrines such as the Lacey Act. These doctrines, the Lacey Act in particular, have proved to be quite ineffective. This is not only because the Lacey Act lists a mere nineteen species, but also because most of the species listed were already established in North America at the time when they were included in the Act. Congress apparently takes much too long a time when passing new amendments to the Lacey Act to make it an effective doctrine. This is why targeting the invasive species problem on the trade regulation level is a more effective path.

Stricter food and drug trade regulation laws with other countries seem to be one of the best methods to go about solving the aquatic invasive species problem. Many people oppose the inspection of each ship that comes into North American ports because it is relatively costly. However, it seems to be the safest route, since according to Lodge’s lecture nearly every port in the world is connected to a body as small as the Great Lakes by only four degrees of separation. This means that, due to the incredible connectedness of the world’s shipping industry, any single port can feasibly receive goods from nearly any other port on the planet Earth! For this reason, it does not seem as if one could possibly classify any water body as a “danger zone” since the world’s ports are apparently so connected. Therefore, it appears that, although costly, more rigid trade inspection and regulation laws are necessary, even if it means the inspection of every ship that comes into North American ports.