66 



4. 



introductions; reduce the spread of nonindigenous species that 

 already exist within New York; minimize the damage from those 

 nonindigenous species, that have been introduced; and educate th»«- 

 public on the importance of preventing future introductions. This, 

 is a good plan. It does as much as is now presently feasible for 

 New York State to attempt to do. The estimated cost of 

 implementation is about $350,000 annually. But, the New York plan 

 does not attempt to control zebra mussels. We do not, and will not 

 in the near future, have the technology to stop the spread of this 

 organism. 



imffe, a small fish of the European perch family, was first 

 found in 1987 and now has established an abtindant reproducing 

 population in the Duluth Harbor area of western Lake Superior 

 (Great Ijakes Fishery Commission, 1992) . Expansion of its range 

 from this location has apparently been retarded due to the cold 

 water temperatures of Lake Superior. Once the ruffe reaches 

 eastern Lake Superior, and it is expected to achieve that in 

 several years, the ultimate dispersal will be potentially siailar 

 to that of the zebra mussel ~ virtually the entire United States 

 east of the continental divide will be affected. 



The ruffe is a small fish with no commercial or recreational 

 value (Busiahn, 1993) . As the ruffe expanded its population in 

 Duluth Harbor, native species have declined. It is expected that 

 expansion of ruffe throughout North America will result in a very 



