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 Reporting by Chris Swanson,
Managing Editor, CQD JournalAlexandria, VA – Feb 25, 2002; A message to those who did not get enough international flair from the
Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah – Come to Alexandria, Virginia. Here, at the 11th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species you will find over 500 experts
from 18 countries gathered together to compete against a global threat. The menace they battle is invasive species, and it is a menace that does not recognize countries, borders or individuals.
Unlike the Olympics, gold, silver and bronze medals do not get awarded to these competitors. That does not mean these scientists are not enthusiastic about their
work. In Monday's sessions, presenters representing Russia, New Zealand, Zambia, Argentina, Switzerland and the United States discussed invasive species
problems in their nations. The challenges they face are formidable. The rewards for their efforts are not. Randy Westbrook of the US Geological Survey may have explained their motivation
best. He said the scientists defining invasive species policy are developing a new conservation ethic. He hopes their work will train today's children to learn to think
about invasive species in the same manner that we learned about littering. People avoid littering today, not because laws tell us not to, but because our hearts tell us it
is wrong. When the public can treat invasive species threats in the same manner, then truly these global competitors, these scientists, will have earned themselves a gold medal.
Following are brief highlights from a number of sessions for February 25th:
The following reports are based on presentations made at the 11th International Conference
on Aquatic Invasive Species, February 25, 2002. Opinions and estimates are those of the
Presenter's unless otherwise noted. CQD Journal for the Maritime Environment Industry makes no assertions as to the validity of the statements or opinions and cannot be held
responsible for any of the information or claims contained therein. We make every effort to report as accurately as possible, as presented by the speakers during the session.
Invasive Species – a global concern bubbling to the surface presented by Jeffrey A. McNeeley Biosecurity Legislation, structure and operation in New Zealand, presented by Geoffrey Hicks
International Situation in Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS)
International Cooperation in AIS Research in Europe, Vadim Panov, GAAS, Russia
Overview of Regional Invasive Species Issues in Africa – Musanda Mumba, Zambia
Argentina's Freshwater Systems: Aliens in Wonderland
– Pablo
Vigliano, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina
Overview of Non-indigenous Aquatic Species in the United States presented by Pam Fuller, US Geological Survey Synergistic Impacts of Multiple Invasions
, presented by Anthony Ricciardi, McGill University  Invasive Species – a global concern bubbling to the surface presented by Jeffrey A. McNeeley
Email address: jeffrey.mcneely@iucn.org
Chief Scientist from the World Conservation Union in Switzerland, Jeff McNeeley began the day's sessions. Today's
global economy carries considerable costs, said McNeeley, and invasive alien species is one of the biggest problems yet the least recognized.
McNeeley outlined two overall invasive alien species problems:
1) Purposeful introductions that go awry and, 2) Accidental introductions that cause harm.
Both problems bear the question of who must pay the costs associated with the resultant damage from the invasive species.
He suggested an overall plan for managing alien invasive species. Regarding intentional introductions:
a) experts must consider all intentional introductions carefully and, b) they must improve the science to predict the potential costs &/or benefits.
Accidental introductions management involves:
c) improving management of the control pathways and, d) improving overall management techniques.
McNeeley believes more focus should go to alerting the World Trade Organization of the seriousness of the invasive alien species issue. The public should also be shown
the links between global trade benefits and costs of invasive alien species. Biosecurity Legislation, structure and operation in New Zealand, presented by Geoffrey Hicks.
Email address: ghicks@doc.govt.nz Geoff Hicks spoke about New Zealand's legislation aimed to reduce potential invasive
species infestations. The two major pieces of invasive species legislation in New Zealand are:
- Biosecurity Act of 1993 – controls unintentional introductions
- Hazardous Substance and New Organisms Act of '96 – controls deliberate introduction of new organisms.
Biosecurity Act
- Applies a risk management based approach to control
- Emphasizes the importance of consulting with local, expert and tribal stakeholders.
Under the Biosecurity Act, the New Zealand Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry is responsible for the bulk of species control although it is specifically responsible for
land and freshwater incursions. Other departments such as Health, Conservation and the Ministry of Fisheries are responsible for other incursions such as pests,
diseases and marine incursions. Agriculture and Fisheries gets about 95% of the funding and control decisions. Hicks felt the Biosecurity Act has performed "OK" to date. Improvements to change
the pre-structured framework of funding and control are under consideration.
International Situation in Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS)
International Cooperation in AIS Research in Europe, Vadim Panov, GAAS,
Russia. Email address: gaas@zin.ruOverview of Regional Invasive Species Issues in Africa – Musanda Mumba, Zambia. Email address: m.mumba@geog.ucl.ac.ukArgentina's Freshwater Systems: Aliens in Wonderland – Pablo Vigliano, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina.
Email address: pviglia@crub.uncoma.edu.ar  Panov, Musonda and Vigliano gave international perspective to the problems of invasive species. Their presentations highlighted
the dire situation faced in underdeveloped countries, particularly in South America and Africa.
 Mumba showed a series of slides taken recently in Zambia. The invasion of water
hyacinths is choking lake, river and wetland systems such that local fishing economies are devastated and hydroelectric facilities have been damaged. She also illustrated
the damage from purposeful alien species introduction such as the Nile Perch by the sport fishing industry in Lake Victoria. According to Mumba, almost all freshwater ecosystems in Africa
have been affected by some form of invasive species.
 The theme of Vigliano's speech could be "We Don't Know." Such
is the case in Argentina where a struggling economy means little focus us placed upon aquatic environmental issues such as non-indigenous invasions. He described a host of identified
invasions in Argentina's waters ranging from mollusks to salmon. Vigliano said there are no plans, no contingencies and virtually nothing is being done to combat their invasive species problems.
Overview of Non-indigenous Aquatic Species in the United States
presented by Pam Fuller, US Geological Survey
Email address:
pam_fuller@usgs.gov Monday afternoon sessions focused on the host continent – North America,
specifically the United States and Canada. Pam Fuller kicked off the sessions with an overview of non-indigenous aquatic species in the US.
Individuals in the shipping industry may be surprised to find out that ballast water is not the most significant pathway of introduction for the U.S. According to Fuller, while shipping is the most significant pathway of introduction for marine
invertebrates, stocking and aquarium releases are the most significant pathway for fishes.
Other vectors include baitfish and food importation.
Geographically, Florida and California are the states hit hardest in terms of numbers of successful invasions. Examples of invasions by region include:
 Great Lakes – zebra mussel & Chinook salmon
- Central US – common carp
- Interior and West – trout and other non-native
 introductions of sport fish
- Marine & Coastal – very recently the lion fish has been found inhabiting coastal zones in Georgia, Carolinas and Long Island, NY.
Synergistic Impacts of Multiple Invasions
, presented by Anthony Ricciardi, McGill University.
Email address:
tony.ricciardi@MCGILL.ca
Ricciardi overwhelmed the audience with a distressing account of multiple invasion scenarios. He described the situation of Invasional Meltdown, whereby one species
invasion can promote other species invasions irrespective of whether the two species have a direct inter-relationship. Multiple invasions can have a synergistic
impact, meaning the problems created are bigger and more dramatic.  Ricciardi
described the "Sea Lamprey" example, a nuisance species that paved the way for two
other invaders. By the 1950s, the sea lamprey invasion killed off most populations of native lake trout in the Great Lakes. The removal of this natural predator paved the way for the explosion of smelt and
alewife fish populations, which in turn reduced zooplankton and native planktivores, causing a decline in overall fish productivity in the system.
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