Invasive species causes great damages to commercial fishing, sport fishing, wildlife watching as well as power plants and other facilities that use the water in the Great Lakes. According to a study released According to a study by the University of Notre Dame these invasive species don’t have natural predators and wreak havoc in their adopted ecosystems, starting a domino effect throughout the food chain.
The study was the work of researchers at the university’s Center for Aquatic Conservation and was released in the waning days of Congress in an attempt to pressure senators to agree to House-passed legislation requiring that ocean-going vessels take steps to kill foreign invaders in their ballast tanks. Experts said that it happens due to contaminated ballast water that causes costly species such as zebra mussels, quagga mussels, the Eurasian ruffe, round goby and spiny water fleas.
Jennifer Nalbone of Great Lakes United, informed that before Congress adjourns for the elections, the Senate must agree to legislation already passed by the House of Representatives that puts in place protections against invasive species in the Great Lakes and all U.S. ports. As per environmentalists the Congress should approve the Coast Guard Authorization Act, which would require ocean vessels entering U.S. ports to install and use technology to kill invasive species in their ballast tanks as next year.
David Lodge, director of the Center for Aquatic Conservation at Notre Dame, said that the distributions of losses with invasions from shipping may be the tip of the iceberg. There is much more economic information to uncover, says Lodge. He added that the bulk of the losses look to be concentrated in the region’s large sport fishing industry.
