 April 2002 |
The REDD Missouri Chapter - American Fisheries Society Page 4 |
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| 'Circling the Redd'
2002 Officers and Committee Chairs Newsletter Editor Matt Matheney Web Assistants: John Fantz 'Circling the Redd'
2002 Officers and Committee Chairs
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Advocacy May 13, 2002
Dear Senator Carnahan: The National Invasive Species Act (NISA) is due for reauthorization. This bill is important to Missouri because non-native, invasive aquatic species are inflicting untold damage on Missouri ’s economy and environment. Introduced, invasive, Asian carps may already be the most abundant large fishes in the Missouri River. Two of the Asian carps, bighead and silver carp, were unheard of in the state ten years ago, but now they are being caught in large numbers by commercial fishers and by sport fishers during the snagging season. One of the central tenets of modern fisheries management is that a body of water has a "carrying capacity" or upper limit to the amount of living material that can be supported. We don’t know yet exactly what impact these fish are having on our native fishes. We do know that the presence of thousands of tons of these non-native, low-value fishes in the Missouri River means that we will have less of the native fish like the catfishes and paddlefish that Missourians value. Non-native invasive wetland plants like the purple loosestrife are also having strong deleterious effects on our native species, as well as on agriculture. The zebra mussel, the black carp, and the ruffe are among the many other invasive species that have not yet become huge problems in Missouri but might soon be if we do not act to protect ourselves.NISA must be reauthorized, and it needs to be strengthened. Missouri has legislation in the wings (Missouri SB 649) to develop an invasive species management plan; Section 1204 of NISA would provide moneys to assist states in developing these plans. However, most of the funds identified by NISA are directed at ship ballast-water transfers of exotic species. While ballast water is an important part of the invasive species problem, the act inadequately addresses other modes of introduction (for example, escapes from aquaculture, and unintentional transport by recreational fishers and boaters), options for limiting the spread and dispersal, and options for controlling established exotic species or limiting the damages they cause. The EPA is authorized to spend $500,000 over 6 years, over the entire United States, for research grants to identify methods for controlling the dispersal and spread of invasive species. This amount of funding is completely inadequate. For comparison, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the economic impact of zebra mussels within the Great Lakes alone at $5 billion over the next ten years. There are no moneys identified within the act for research on methods to control established invasive species or to limit the damage they cause. The Missouri Chapter of the American Fisheries Society is a scientific organization of 200 professional resource managers, researchers, and aquaculturists living and working in Missouri. We urge you to support and strengthen the National Invasive Species Act. This letter is being sent to the entire Missouri delegation to the U.S. House and Senate. Sincerely,
cc: Tim Goeman, President, North Central Division, AFS; Kenneth Beal, President, AFS
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