61 



Ms. Kimball. I think as Dr. Davison testified earlier, the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation are looking to 

 control the spread of zebra mussels to the West. In addition, the 

 New York Sea Grant Zebra Mussel Clearinghouse and the task 

 force's monitoring committee collects information and tries to pro- 

 vide early warning and detection so that we can prevent the spread 

 of zebra mussels. 



Senator Akaka. Perhaps the greatest unforeseen consequence of 

 the great flood of 1993 is the spread of zebra mussels. According 

 to the March 4th issue of Science, the flood washed great numbers 

 of these destructive mollusks down river to the coi5luence of the 

 Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. Until now, zebra mussel infesta- 

 tions have been confined to the Great Lakes. I will place a copy of 

 this article in the hearing record. ^ 



Senator Akaka. Now that these aquatic pests will soon invade 

 the Mississippi River, which Federal agency will be responsible for 

 slowing their spread? 



Ms. Kimball. I think what we found with the flood is that while 

 zebra mussels had spread down the Mississippi, the flood is spread- 

 ing them into smaller and smaller tributaries. As far as Federal re- 

 sponse is concerned, the Army Corps of Engineers has the lead in 

 trying to identify and control zebra mussels in public facilities. 



Senator Akaka. Ballast water exchange is never "complete". It is 

 impossible to release all water from a ship before refilling ballast 

 tanks. Thus, vessels from foreign salt water ports bound for the 

 U.S. will continue to discharge some of their original water, as well 

 as any alien plants and animals contained therein. 



The recently completed "shipping study", mandated under Public 

 Law 101-646, demonstrated alternative ballast water management 

 technologies which could limit the spread of aquatic alien species. 

 How does NOAA plan to implement, in conjunction with the U.S. 

 Coast Guard, these new ballast water management technologies? 



Ms. Kimball. I should clarify, Mr. Chairman, that the shipping 

 study was prepared for the Department of Transportation which is 

 still reviewing the shipping study, so it has not been publicly re- 

 leased. But in furtherance of the concern about ballast water man- 

 agement, NOAA and other agencies are considering funding a Nat- 

 ural Research Council proposed study on ballast water manage- 

 ment evaluation which can look at these technologies and assess 

 their effectiveness. 



Senator Akaka. Containment of non-indigenous fish and large 

 aquatic invertebrates is difficult. Once released, they spread easily 

 within river systems, and their larval, sub-adult and adult forms 

 may each be disruptive. Attempts at eradication are often a waste 

 of time and money, and often produce only temporary gains. 



Do efforts to control aquatic pests such as the zebra mussel in 

 the Great Lakes have any realistic hope of success? 



Ms. Kimball. I believe they do, Mr. Chairman. I think the key 

 question is keeping the presence of the species below a certain 

 threshold level. Zebra mussels have been introduced for some time. 

 The question is do they become established successfully, and if we 



1 See pages 194-195. 



77-812 0-94-3 



