Harmful Non-Indigenous Species in the United States

The 1993 report from the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment was requested by the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee; its Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment and the Subcommittee on Oceanography and Great Lakes; the Subcommittee on Water Resources of the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation; and by Representative John Dingell. The report provides a comprehensive overview of invasive species issues and management options. This web site provides each individual section of the report as a downloadable .pdf file.

The National Center for Environmental Economics’ (NCEE’s) working paper, The Economic Impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species:  A Review of the Literature , looks at cost estimates for preventing and controlling invasive species from a review of economic literature on invasive species.

The Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force has recently formed a Mid-Atlantic Regional Panel(MARP) to help prevent the further introduction and distribution of aquatic invasive species. Information on the MARP is not yet available on the web, however the ANS Task Force web site has a great deal of information about aquatic invasive species nationwide.

The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database site has spatially referenced information non-native aquatic species including reports, online/realtime queries, spatial data sets, regional contact lists, and general information.

The Sea Grant Nonindigenous Species Site (SGNIS) contains a comprehensive library of links to research publications and education materials on aquatic nuisance species produced by Sea Grant programs around the nation.

The National Biological Information Infrastructure’s (NBII’s)Invasive Species Information Node works with many different partners to research, review, monitor, and document invasive species problems. This site has links to current projects, information about specific invasive species, maps, activities, and other websites of interest.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for managing invasive species in the United States. This web site contains information about the Service’s role in controlling the introduction of invasive species into the United States and has links to a number of fact sheets on specific invasive species.

The NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) conducts research on both plant and animal invasive species. Working with other research partners, NCCOS is developing a pilot early-warning system that will indicate the early presence of invasive species in Hawaii's marine and estuarine coastal areas. Future projects will expand the database to include other coastal states, territories, and U.S. possessions, thus building a national early-warning system. And as a member of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, NCCOS studies developing technologies that may help reduce the impact of invasive species resulting from contaminated ballast water. This site contains links to information about NCCOS projects and links to information about specific invasive species.