But the Spartina choking the state of Washington's Willapa Bay, as well as Atlantic shad and other fish threatening native species in San Francisco Bay, come from the U.S. East Coast. We also export harmful species. Leidy's comb jelly, carried in ballast water from the U.S. to the Black Sea and lacking any predator, created one of the most intense marine invasions ever recorded. As ships become larger and faster the opportunities for alien species to gain transport and survive the trip are multiplied, up to a hundredfold on some routes. At the MIT conference, which had several co-sponsors, scientists, managers and industry representatives illuminated the complexities of trying to prevent or control marine bioinvaders.
Marine species find many ways to travel to a new environment.
Secretary Babbitt did point out the large economic benefits that control can sometimes provide, such the program to curb lampreys in the Great Lakes. But he and others held that prevention was a top priority and usually a more effective and economic tactic than control or eradication. Other speakers noted that introduced species have an evolutionary as well as an ecological impact and that the smallest organisms, such as viruses, bacteria and phytoplankton can do as much harm as larger ones. Particularly dangerous are marine pathogens, invasive algae, and organisms genetically altering native species. In addition to initiatives to prevent invasions from the many serious transfer vectors, speakers emphasized the importance of flexible funding to provide early response to budding new problems before they are out of control.