[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 45 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES ACT OF 1996

                                 ______


                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 28, 1996

  Mr. MILLER of California, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be an original 
cosponsor of the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 which is being 
introduced today by Congressman Steven LaTourette and Senator John 
Glenn to establish a national voluntary ballast management program for 
vessels visiting U.S. ports. In addition to ballast management, this 
legislation will provide for research, education, and new technology to 
investigate and prevent species introduction in coastal and inland 
waters.
  Aquatic species invasion is of tremendous concern in the San 
Francisco Bay/Delta Estuary. According to a recent report, the San 
Francisco Bay and the entire Delta is now considered ``the most invaded 
aquatic ecosystem in North America.''
  Current estimates indicate that an average of at least one new 
species is established every 12 weeks in the Bay, posing serious 
threats to the Bay ecosystem and economy. Hundreds of thousands of 
dollars are spent on controlling introduced species, and there are 
other expenses, such as reduced shipping efficiency due to hull fouling 
species and damages to piers from wood boring species.
  The most disturbing cost of introduced species is the extinction or 
regional eradication of native species in the Estuary through 
competition and predation from introduced species. Introduced species 
have contributed to the extinction of some species of California 
freshwater fish and are now strongly contributing to the further demise 
of some endangered marsh birds and mammals. One introduced species, the 
Chinese mitten crab, can multiply so prolifically that it poses a 
threat to the Bay-Delta Estuary's ecology, agriculture, and water 
agencies. The presence of this species and other introduced species 
have lead to increasing restrictions on channel dredging, levee 
maintenance, water diversions, and other economic activities in and 
near the Estuary, with costly implications for the whole of 
California's economy.
  The ballast water of commercial vessels is a leading vector by which 
nonindigenous species enter U.S. waters. Cargo vessels arrive with 
thousands of tons of ballast water used to achieve the necessary trim 
and stability for ocean voyage. The ballast water contains eggs, 
larvae, and other marine organisms which are released in port depending 
on a vessel's cargo-loading requirements. One vessel could discharge 
tens of millions of viable organisms in San Francisco Bay. Hundreds of 
cargo vessels arrive each year in the Bay, establishing essentially a 
``biotic corridor'' for species invasions in this coastal area. Ballast 
exchange can reduce the probability of ballast transfers of these non-
native species.
  There is tremendous support for Mr. LaTourette's bill among 
environmental groups, water agencies, and state and federal agencies in 
the Bay Area and throughout the country. Understanding the patterns of 
species invasions and reducing the occurrence of those invasions is 
imperative in promoting the economic and ecological health of our 
coastal resources. I encourage members to join me in supporting this 
legislation.

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