NATIONAL
ESTUARY
PROGRAM
INVASIVE SPECIES
A variety of foreign microbes, plants, and animals enter estuarine waters where they face few, if any, native predators or diseases that could prevent them
from becoming established in coastal ecosystems and upsetting natural habitats, marine life, and water quality. Important pathways of introduction for
invasive species include ballast water, aquaculture, and marine recreational activities.
These intruders cling to the hulls of boats and other hard surfaces, including permanent floating docks and piers, ropes, buoys, and chains, even hitchhiking
on the backs of native shellfish and other organisms. Once established, they can colonize and begin to smother native flora and fauna, killing off native populations by depriving
them of space and food. Communities of fouling organisms can also damage piers and pilings and obstruct municipal water pipes. Pathogen- or disease-carrying invaders have
the potential to threaten public health. Fortunately not every invader is harmful—some introduced species actually appear to be harmless—but among those that are, effective
strategies are necessary to manage and control future invasions. The first step is recognizing what species are present and identifying potential sources and vectors.
THE NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM IN ACTION
Massachusetts Bays Program
Since 2000, the Massachusetts
Bays Program (MBP) and other
NEPs in the Northeast have been
addressing the problem in New
England waters with an Invasive
Species Rapid Assessment Sur-
vey (RAS), a quick, cost-effective
approach similar to what NEPs
in Washington and California
have used. The MBP and its
partners have conducted three
RASs so far—a method that is
less costly compared to other
approaches but still provides
high-quality data in a short peri-
od of time that can be shared
widely. Every few years, in mid-
to-late summer when most ma-
rine organisms have matured
and therefore are more easily
identified, the MBP coordinates
the week-long RAS at designat-
ed floating docks along the
coast.
In 2007, and in partnership with
a Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) Sea Grant, the
MBP was able to raise $25,000
in funding from local, state, and
Federal sources to survey sites
from Maine to Cape Cod. Suc-
cess rested entirely on the work
of a team of volunteer taxonomic
experts and researchers brought
together by the MBP and MIT.
Compensated with little more
than a place to sleep and three
square meals a day, the team of
scientists, educators, and stu-
dents dispersed across docks to
gather samples,
including algae, tiny crusta-
ceans, and other organisms. The
effort even included the valuable
addition of a diver and taxono-
mist from the Netherlands Natu-
ral History Museum on the team.
This enabled them to capture
species on the underside of
docks that seek habitat at great-
er depths.
After dropping the specimens
into shallow pans of salty water
for a quick examination, the sci-
entists packed them in jars and
plastic bags for identification at
the University of New Hampshire,
another vital partner. Specimens
were documented and preserved
in ethanol for possible use in fu-
ture genetic studies. To com-
plete the final RAS report, scien-
tists continued the identification
process back at their home labs
across the U.S., Canada, Brazil,
and the Netherlands.
These baseline inventories are
helping NEPs increase their
knowledge about what species
are present and to observe how
things are changing in time and
place. The information they col-
lect can be shared and compared
across estuary programs, put-
ting researchers in a better
position to understand trends in
the presence and abundance of
EFFECTIVE
EFFICIENT
ADAPTIVE
COLLABORATIVE
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species—important factors that
help state and local governments
develop effective early detection
and rapid response plans, state
management initiatives, public
education, and increased volun-
teer interest in future monitoring
efforts. The MBP is currently
working with state agencies,
particularly the Massachusetts
Office of Coastal Zone Manage-
ment (MCZM), to develop a
coordinated statewide approach
to detecting new invaders.
MCZM and the MBP have
developed a means of evaluating
the threat posed by new
invaders, and are now collabo-
rating with the state Aquatic
Invasive Species Working Group
on the implementation of this
evaluation method. To facilitate
regional cooperation and com-
munication, the MBP sits on the
NortheastAquatic Nuisance Spe-
cies Panel, and has adopted
some action items related
to aquatic invasive species in
its Comprehensive Conservation
and Management Plan. To fund
their programs, MBP partners
pursue grants to support
ongoing citizen volunteer moni-
toring efforts.
Visit www.massbays.org to
learn more about this and other
MBP efforts.
EPA's National Estuary Program
(NEP) is a unique and successful
coastal watershed-based program
established in 1987 under the
Clean Water Act Amendments.
The NEP involves the public and
collaborates with partners to pro-
tect, restore, and maintain the wa-
ter quality and ecological integrity
of 28 estuaries of national signifi-
cance located in 18 coastal states
and Puerto Rico.
For more information about the
NEP go to www.epa.gov/owow/
estuaries.
The NEP: Implementing the Clean Water Act in ways that are Effective, Efficient, Adaptive, and Collaborative.
EPA-842F09001
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