Mike Levin: “today my colleague from Maine, Senator Collins and I are very pleased to introduce the National Aquatic Invasive Species…”

“today my colleague from Maine, Senator Collins and I are very pleased to introduce the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2005. This bill, which reauthorizes the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act, takes a comprehensive approach towards addressing aquatic nuisance species to protect the nation's aquatic ecosystems. Invasive species are not a new problem for this country, but what is so important about this bill is that this is the first real effort to take a comprehensive approach toward the problem of aquatic invasive species. The bill deals with the prevention of introductions, the screening of new aquatic organisms that do come into the country, the rapid response to invasions, and the research to implement the provisions of this bill. During the development of this country, there were more than people immigrating to this country. More than 6,500 non-indigenous invasive species have been introduced into the United States and have become established, self-sustaining populations. These species--from microorganisms to mollusks, from pathogens to plants, from insects to fish to animals--typically encounter few, if any, natural enemies in their new environments and wreak havoc on native species. Aquatic nuisance species threaten biodiversity nationwide, especially in the Great Lakes.…”