101 



come established since the 1800s, more than one-third of them during the past 30 

 years. Several of these species, including the sea lamprey and alewife, contributed 

 to massive alterations in the Great Lakes fish community. 



As the country's principal land management and natural resource agency, the De- 

 partment of Interior manages many programs dealing with non-indigenous species. 



The National Biological Survey (NBS) has established a research and monitoring 

 program to: 1) determine the effects of non-indigenous species on native flora and 

 fauna; 2) develop methods which can be used to prevent the introduction of poten- 

 tially nuisance species into the Nation's ecosystems, 3) develop environmentally safe 

 measures to control established nuisance species, and 4) monitor the distribution 

 and potential spread of non-indigenous species in North America. Activities range 

 from evaluating the effectiveness of fences in controlling feral animals in the Hawaii 

 Volcanoes National Park to determining the response of black bears to gypsy moth 

 induced mortality of trees. NBS has recently joined an interagency effort to develop 

 a coordinated approach to contain invasive, non-indigeno'.-s weeds. In partnership 

 with other Federal and State agencies, NBS also conducts research on chemical and 

 biological control of sea lampreys in the Great Lakes. 



The Department is also coordinating with other Federal, State, Tribal, and local 

 governments to implement the Non-indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and 

 Control Act (Act) ot 1990 (P.L. 101-646) to address non-indigenous aquatic species 

 at the national level. The Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force (ANS Task Force) 

 estabUshed by the Act has proven to be an excellent mechanism for interagency co- 

 ordination. As co-chairs of the ANS Task Force, the Director of the U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service and the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department 

 of Commerce, are jointly responsible for implementing most provisions of the Act in 

 consiiltation and cooperation with the other members of the Task Force. The Service 

 provides staff support to the Task Force and along with NBS, chairs a number of 

 Task Force Committees. * xto m r:> 



The cornerstone of the Act and the msyor responsibility of the ANS Task FOTce 

 is the development of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Program (ANS Program). The 

 Service and NBS took a leadership role in development of the program, which has 

 undergone public review and will be sent to Congress this spring following Adminis- 

 tration clearance. Implementation of this comprehensive program will build on ex- 

 isting non-indigenous activities and be a cooperative effort among Federal ag;encies, 

 States, Tribes, local governments, nongovernmental entities, and other countries. 



The primary objectives of the ANS Program are to: prevent the introduction and 

 dispersal of aquatic nuisance species; monitor, control and study aquatic nuisance 

 species; and disseminate related information. Supporting elements of the program 

 include research, technical assistance, education, and a zebra mussel demonstration 

 program. , 



The zebra mussel infestation was the catalyst for establishing the Act and much 

 of our non-indigenous species effort has remained focussed on the zebra mussel 

 within the Department of Interior. The Service, NBS, National Park Service (NPS) 

 and the Bureau of Reclamation (BR) are all conducting and coordinating zebra mus- 



The Service and the National Park Service, in cooperation with State and local 

 governments, have developed a "Zebra Mussel Response Program" to prevent the 

 spread of the zebra mussel into the St. Croix National Scenic River. The St. Croix 

 River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, supports several species of endangered 

 mussels. Multi-agency efforts include information/education, boat inspections and 

 access management, watercraft decontamination, and monitoring. n. j u 



The Service and the Bureau of Reclamation are working together to "head them 

 off at the pass." The Service conducted a study to determine the feasibility of stop- 

 ping or slowing the spread of zebra mussels west of the Continental Divide where 

 they may impact large reservoirs, dams, irrigation systems, etc. An interagency 

 meeting was sponsored by the Service and BR in February 1994 to develop inter- 

 agency strategies to address this problem. Activities which will be initiated by the 

 Service in fiscal year 1994 include preparation of information/education programs 

 for the general pubUc, performing risk assessments on Service facilities that may 

 be at risk, and assisting western States in developing containment and prevention 

 strategies and programs. Additionally, the Service and the Bureau of Reclamation 

 are developing a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate cooperative efforts to 

 prevent, monitor and control zebra mussels and other non-indigenous aquatic nui- 

 sance species on BR and Service lands. 



Research is an important support element of the ANS Program and NBS has con- 

 ducted considerable research to support management of zebra mussel related prob- 

 lems. The NBS Great Lakes Center has conducted studies on the biology and life 

 history of zebra mussel and their effects on native biological communities and habi- 



