The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working closely with the office of Oregon=s U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, have released $275,000 for a three-year study of aquatic nuisance species in the lower Columbia River.
The study will be conducted by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) in collaboration with Portland State University (PSU), the University of Washington, and Oregon State University. Aquatic nuisance species (ANS) are harmful species that are not native to the Columbia, but have been transported here by human activity.
Humans dramatically change natural boundaries by moving species all over the world -- as pets, for recreation, or even accidentally on boat trailers, hiking boots, or, as is the leading concern in this study, in the ballast water of large ships. Ballast water, which is used to stabilize ships while in transit across the ocean, is recognized as one of the leading ways of moving species around the globe -- especially to waters that are home to large commercial ports. This human-aided movement enables non-native species to invade and disrupt natural ecosystems.
Invasive species are now widely recognized as second only to habitat destruction as a threat to the earth=s biological diversity,@ said Anne Badgley, Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service=s Pacific Region. "If these invaders continue to grow, they can become essentially permanent biological pollutants.@
Commander Scott Newsham, Chief of the U.S. Coast Guard
