River groups prepare statement on invasives
The Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee and the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, at their first-ever joint meeting last March in Cape Girardeau, Mo., issued a joint statement on the "critical" matter of controlling exotic species.
In part, the statement read: "Over 135 non-native species have been introduced to the Mississippi River Basin during the past 100 years. These species have impacted native fauna and flora through predation, competition, and displacement that has reduced native species diversity and community integrity. Economic impacts from exotic species threaten to compromise a billion-dollar recreation industry on the Mississippi River. One of the primary reasons for the continuing influx of non-native species . . . is the lack of federal legislation regulating intentional and accidental importation of these organisms."
The groups said they "strongly advocate" federal rules to require that non-native species be proven innocuous before their importation is allowed.