Shawnee Group of the Sierra Club
Outings Newsletter Local Action Resources Membership
Shawnee Group of the Sierra Club
Outings Newsletter Local Action Resources Membership
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National |
 | Clean Air |
| Energy |
| Population |
| Wildlands |
In the summer of 2002, there was a media frenzy about the more than one-hundred Northern Snakehead fish {Channa Argus} that were found in a Maryland pond. These so-called “Frankenfish” are an invasive/exotic specie whose saw-tooled teeth and enormous appetite can decimate a pond’s fish population before literally walking across land for up to several days to the next body of water. This invasive specie was deliberately introduced by an home aquarium owner weary of the expense of feeding this voracious aquatic pets.
There are numerous aquatic species that pose similar threats to the environment. Illinois is already battling the invasion of at least three species: purple loosestrife, eurasian watermillfoil and zebra mussels. The thumbnail-sized zebra mussels arrived in 1985 or 1986, when transoceanic ships discharged ballast water that contained the mussels into Lake St. Clair between Detroit and Canada. The mussels adhere themselves to native clams and mussels preventing reproduction and nutrient filtering. They live 4-5 years and can grow up to 50 millimeters wide. The spread of zebra mussels has biologists concerned that populations of native mussels will decline, and perhaps some of the rarer species may be completely eliminated.
Research indicates that zebra mussels can accumulate organic pollutants within their bodies to levels more than 300,000 times greater than concentrations in the environment. These contaminants are passed up the food chain to animals so that any fish or waterfowl consuming zebra mussels will also accumulate these organic pollutants. These same pollutants can harm humans that eat fish and animals from anywhere along the food chain.
Invasive aquatic species are spread by several mechanisms:
| Maritime commerce, as was the case with the zebra mussels. |
| Recreational boating and other water related recreational activities |
| Sport fish stocking |
| Accidental releases from the aquaculture and horticulture industries, the aquarium trade and the live bait business |
| Release into the wild by consumers from private aquarium collections |
Sportsmen can make a difference in stopping the spread of aquatic invasive species by:
| Removing any visible mud, plants, fish or animals before transporting equipment |
| Eliminating water from equipment before transporting |
| Cleaning and drying anything that comes in contact with water (Boats, trailers, equipment, clothing, pets, etc.) |
| Never releasing plants, fish or animals into a water body unless they came directly from it. |
In 1996 Congress passed the National Invasive Species Act. This law required the Coast Guard to establish national voluntary ballast water guidelines and in 1999, the National Voluntary Guidelines were implemented for all waters of the United States. For further information on aquatic, exotic “hitchhikers”, readers are encouraged to visit the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force website sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Coast Guard at: http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhikers/
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