Laws Governing Animal Transport Discussed

[Tim Smith]

From the AFS Message Board....

Antiquated animal import legislation root cause of Asian carp crisis

Conservation and fishing groups are calling on the federal government to

improve outdated laws and prevent the next invasion

Buffalo, NY (February 28, 2011) - Asian carp were allowed into this country

under a law governing animal imports that was passed in 1900, and which has

remained unchanged, despite a drastically different global trade reality. As

two species of Asian carp, the bighead and silver carp, knock at the door of

the Great Lakes, conservation and fishing groups are calling on federal

officials to finally update import screening laws before the next invader

gets here.

"Stopping Asian carp should have happened before the first shipment. This

incredible threat, this incredible expense, was avoidable," said Jennifer

Nalbone, director of Navigation and Invasive Species for Great Lakes United.

"It's time for the antiquated Lacey Act to be modernized so that we never

have to fight off another invasion like this again."

During the 111 years since the Lacey Act was adopted, only about 40 animal

groups have been prohibited under this legislation, and usually long after

the animals have been imported, escaped into the wild, and are causing harm.

By modernizing the Lacey Act, the U.S. Congress can empower the FWS to first

assess the potential risks associated with a species proposed for import

before deciding whether to allow or prohibit its trade into the United

States.

"Right now, the next species that might terrorize the Great Lakes could be

on its way to the U.S.," said Max Muller, Policy Director for Environment

Illinois. "We need Congress to plug the gaping loophole that allows invasive

species to be imported into the country, and leaves states like Illinois

holding the bag."

Bighead and silver carp are just two of the non-native fish and wildlife

species that have been imported into the U.S. and that are becoming

established and spreading across the country, causing significant

environmental and economic damage. Scientists have been working to detect,

monitor and respond to these threatening species and others for decades.

"In hindsight, if Asian carp had not been allowed into North America, we

would have avoided a crisis that very well may permanently alter the ecology

of the Mississippi River and could forever change the Great Lakes, two of

the largest and most important ecosystems in this country," said Phil Moy,

Fisheries and Invasive Species Specialist from Wisconsin Sea Grant and chair

of the Technical and Policy Workgroup for the Asian Carp Regional

Coordinating Committee.

The northern snakehead is another species imported into the country under

the Lacey Act, and is out-competing other species for food and habitat. The

species was imported for the Asian food market and pet trade and first

discovered in the wild in a Maryland pond in 2002, where they were released

by someone who no longer wanted them. Although the snakeheads were

eradicated from the pond, they later began appearing in the Potomac River

and are now well established in the Potomac River and several of its

tributaries in Maryland and Virginia. One northern snakehead was caught in

Chicago's Burnham Harbor in 2004. Northern snakeheads are aggressive

predators that can push out native fish species. According to a risk

assessment performed by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, they

could establish in portions of the Great Lakes, including Lake Erie and Lake

St. Clair.

In addition to Asian carp and northern snakehead, aquarium clams and snails,

like the Asiatic clam and the banded and oriental mystery snails, have

established populations throughout the region. If screened for invasiveness

before importation, all of these species could have been prevented from

being imported into the country.

"In this globalized world, animals are traded across continents every day,

and the rules governing the live animal trade in this country need to be

brought into the 21st Century," said Dr. Phyllis Windle, National

Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species (NECIS) spokesperson.

"We need to stop the Asian carp, and we also need to learn a lesson from all

this," said Captain Rick Unger, President of the Lake Erie Charterboat

Association. "It's time to make the changes necessary to ensure the next big

invader doesn't threaten the Great Lakes fishing and boating community."

"Our screening law was outmoded four decades ago when Asian carp first

entered the country," said Joel Brammeier, president of the Alliance for the

Great Lakes. "We have to slam the barn door closed before another new

invasion is unleashed."

As a leading import market, the United States receives hundreds of millions

of non-native animals each year. Often, they escape from captivity, are

dumped by those who no longer want them, or are released into ecosystems by

floods and storms. These non-native animals can spread widely, crowd out

native wildlife, fundamentally alter natural systems, and spread infectious

pathogens and harmful parasites.

Contact:

Jennifer Nalbone, Great Lakes United, (716) 983-3831, <mailto:jen@glu.org>

jen@glu.org

Max Muller, Environment Illinois, (312) 869-2629,

<mailto:max@EnvironmentIllinois.org> max@EnvironmentIllinois.org

Rick Unger, Lake Erie Charter Boat Association, (216) 401-6231,

<mailto:rungerchpd@aol.com> rungerchpd@aol.com

Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes, 312-939-0838 x224,

<mailto:jbrammeier@greatlakes.org> jbrammeier@greatlakes.org

Dr. Phyllis Windle, National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species,

(301) 345-8516 <mailto:pnwindle@gmail.com> pnwindle@gmail.com

Asian carp expert: Dr. Phil Moy, Wisconsin Sea Grant, (608) 263-5133,

<mailto:pmoy@aqua.wisc.edu> pmoy@aqua.wisc.edu