Australia's success featured in news outlets world-wide, in scientific conferences in the US, New Zealand, and Europe on controlling marine and aquatic pests and was highlighted in an article in one of the world's leading scientific journals, Science. But it takes an awareness of the problem, a creditable monitoring effort and, above all, a willingness to act based on the best possible information available. The fact that the Black Striped Mussel was a species closely related to the Zebra mussel gave urgency to the management response. Introduced from Europe to the freshwater environs of the Great Lakes in ballast water, the zebra mussel flourishes at the expense of lakeside industries. And the mussel is still spreading, despite multi-million dollar programs to slow it down.
Ecological impacts are more difficult to forecast, but are likely to be substantial.
In its preferred inshore, low salinity habitats, introduced populations of Black Striped Mussels can form monocultures 10-15 cm thick. This momentum also reflects a recognition that the threat has only withdrawn, not stopped forever. The mussel is still rampant in port environments in SE Asia, and could be re-introduced at any time. Because of this continuing threat and because of the lessons learned from the Black Striped Mussel episode, several key initiatives have been started The NT government has set in place the world's first comprehensive program to check the hulls and internal plumbing of recreational and commercial vessels for exotic pests. Vessels judged as high risk must be cleaned before entering Darwin marinas.