(2) the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environ-
mental Protection Agency, and other appropriate 
Federal agencies; and 
(3) the Task Force and Invasive Species Coun-
cil. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The administering agencies 
shall enter into a memorandum of understanding regard-
ing the implementation of this Act, which shall include the 
coordination required by subsection (a). 
(c) COOPERATION.—In carrying out this Act, the ad-
ministering agencies shall contract, as appropriate, or oth-
erwise cooperate with academic researchers. 
(d) STRUCTURE.—To the extent practicable, the ad-
ministering agencies shall carry out this Act working with-
in the organizational structure of the Task Force and 
Invasive Species Council. 
SEC. 5. ECOLOGICAL AND PATHWAY RESEARCH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The administering agencies shall 
develop and conduct a marine and fresh-water research 
program which shall include ecological and pathway sur-
veys and experimentation to detect nonnative aquatic spe-
cies in aquatic ecosystems and to assess rates and patterns 
of introductions of nonnative aquatic species in aquatic 
ecosystems. The goal of this marine and freshwater re-
search program shall be to support efforts to prevent the 
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introduction of, detect, and eradicate invasive species 
through informing early detection and rapid response ef-
forts, informing relevant policy decisions, and assessing 
the effectiveness of implemented policies to prevent the in-
troduction and spread of aquatic invasive species. Surveys 
and experiments under this subsection shall be commenced 
not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(b) PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT.—The administering 
agencies shall establish standardized protocols for con-
ducting ecological and pathway surveys of nonnative 
aquatic species under subsection (a) that are integrated 
and produce comparable data. Protocols shall, as prac-
ticable, be integrated with existing protocols and data col-
lection methods. In developing the protocols under this 
subsection, the administering agencies shall draw on the 
recommendations gathered at the workshop under sub-
section (g). The protocols shall be peer reviewed, and re-
vised as necessary. Protocols shall be completed within 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) ECOLOGICAL AND PATHWAY SURVEY REQUIRE-
MENTS.—(1) Each ecological survey conducted under sub-
section (a) shall, at a minimum— 
(A) document baseline ecological information of 
the aquatic ecosystem including, to the extent prac-
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ticable, a comprehensive inventory of native species, 
nonnative species, and species of unknown origin 
present in the ecosystem, as well as the chemical 
and physical characteristics of the water and under-
lying substrate; 
(B) for nonnative species, gather information to 
assist in identifying their life history, environmental 
requirements and tolerances, the historic range of 
their native ecosystems, and their history of spread-
ing from their native ecosystems; 
(C) track the establishment of nonnative species 
including information about the estimated abun-
dance of nonnative organisms in order to allow an 
analysis of the probable date of introduction of the 
species; and 
(D) identify the likely pathway of entry of non-
native species. 
(2) Each pathway survey conducted under this sec-
tion shall, at a minimum— 
(A) identify what nonnative aquatic species are 
being introduced or may be introduced through the 
pathways under consideration; 
(B) determine the quantities of organisms being 
introduced through the pathways under consider-
ation; and 
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(C) determine the practices that contributed to 
or could contribute to the introduction of nonnative 
aquatic species through the pathway under consider-
ation. 
(d) NUMBER AND LOCATION OF SURVEY SITES.— 
The administering agencies shall designate the number 
and location of survey sites necessary to carry out marine 
and freshwater research required under this section. In 
establishing sites under this subsection or subsection (e), 
emphasis shall be on the geographic diversity of sites, as 
well as the diversity of the human uses and biological char-
acteristics of sites. 
(e) COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM.—The National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United 
States Geological Survey shall jointly administer a pro-
gram to award competitive, peer-reviewed grants to aca-
demic institutions, State agencies, and other appropriate 
groups, in order to assist in carrying out subsection (a), 
and shall include to the maximum extent practicable di-
verse institutions, including Historically Black Colleges 
and Universities and those serving large proportions of 
Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, or 
other underrepresented populations. 
(f) 
SHIP
PATHWAY
SURVEYS.—Section 
1102(b)(2)(B)(ii) of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance 
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Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 
4712(b)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(ii) examine other potential modes 
for the introduction of nonnative aquatic 
species by ship, including hull fouling.’’. 
(g) WORKSHOP.—In order to support the develop-
ment of the protocols and design for the surveys under 
subsections (b) and (c), and to determine how to obtain 
consistent, comparable data across a range of ecosystems, 
the administering agencies shall convene at least one 
workshop with appropriate researchers and representa-
tives involved in the management of aquatic invasive spe-
cies from Federal and State agencies and academic insti-
tutions to gather recommendations. The administering 
agencies shall make the results of the workshop widely 
available to the public. The workshop shall be held within 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(h) EXPERIMENTATION.—The administering agen-
cies shall conduct research to identify the relationship be-
tween the introduction and establishment of nonnative 
aquatic species, including those legally introduced, and the 
circumstances necessary for those species to become 
invasive. 
(i) NATIONAL PATHWAY AND ECOLOGICAL SURVEYS 
DATABASE.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The United States Geologi-
cal Survey shall develop, maintain, and update, in 
consultation and cooperation with the Smithsonian 
Institution (acting through the Smithsonian Envi-
ronmental Research Center), the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, and the Task 
Force, a central, national database of information 
concerning information collected under this section. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The database shall— 
(A) be widely available to the public; 
(B) be updated not less than once a quar-
ter; 
(C) be coordinated with existing databases, 
both domestic and foreign, collecting similar in-
formation; and 
(D) be, to the maximum extent practicable, 
formatted such that the data is useful for both 
researchers and Federal and State employees 
managing relevant invasive species programs. 
SEC. 6. ANALYSIS. 
(a) INVASION ANALYSIS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and every year 
thereafter, the administering agencies shall analyze 
data collected under section 5 and other relevant re-
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search on the rates and patterns of invasions by 
aquatic invasive species in waters of the United 
States. The purpose of this analysis shall be to use 
the data collected under section 5 and other relevant 
research to support efforts to prevent the introduc-
tion of, detect, and eradicate invasive species 
through informing early detection and rapid re-
sponse efforts, informing relevant policy decisions, 
and assessing the effectiveness of implemented poli-
cies to prevent the introduction and spread of 
invasive species. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The analysis required under 
paragraph (1) shall include with respect to aquatic 
invasive species— 
(A) an analysis of pathways, including— 
(i) identifying, and characterizing as 
high, medium, or low risk, pathways re-
gionally and nationally; 
(ii) identifying new and expanding 
pathways; 
(iii) identifying handling practices 
that contribute to the introduction of spe-
cies in pathways; and 
(iv) assessing the risk that species le-
gally introduced into the United States 
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pose for introduction into aquatic eco-
systems; 
(B) patterns and rates of invasion and sus-
ceptibility to invasion of various bodies of 
water; 
(C) how the risk of establishment through 
a pathway is related to the identity and number 
of organisms transported; 
(D) rates of spread and numbers and types 
of pathways of spread of new populations of the 
aquatic invasive species and an estimation of 
the potential spread and distribution of newly 
introduced invasive species based on their envi-
ronmental requirements and historical distribu-
tion; 
(E) documentation of factors that influ-
ence an ecosystem’s vulnerability to a nonnative 
aquatic species becoming invasive; 
(F) a description of the potential for, and 
impacts of, pathway management programs on 
invasion rates; 
(G) recommendations for improvements in 
the effectiveness of pathway management; 
(H) to the extent practical, a determina-
tion of the level of reduction in live organisms 
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of various taxonomic groups required to reduce 
the risk of establishment to receiving aquatic 
ecosystems to an acceptable level; and 
(I) an evaluation of the effectiveness of 
management actions (including any standard) 
at preventing nonnative species introductions 
and establishment. 
(b) RESEARCH TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL OF THE 
ESTABLISHMENT OF INTRODUCED SPECIES.—Within 2 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the ad-
ministering agencies shall develop a profile, based on the 
general characteristics of invasive species and vulnerable 
ecosystems, in order to predict, to the extent practical, 
whether a species planned for importation is likely to in-
vade a particular aquatic ecosystem if introduced. In de-
veloping the profile, the above agencies shall analyze the 
research conducted under section 5, and other research 
as necessary, to determine general species and ecosystem 
characteristics (taking into account the opportunity for in-
troduction into any ecosystem) and circumstances that can 
lead to establishment. Based on the profile, the Task 
Force shall make recommendations to the Invasive Species 
Council as to what planned importations of nonnative 
aquatic organisms should be restricted. This profile shall 
be peer-reviewed. 
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(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out this sec-
tion and section 5 of this Act, and section 1102(b)(2) of 
the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Con-
trol Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4712(b)(2)) for each of the 
fiscal years 2008 through 2012— 
(1) $4,000,000 for the Smithsonian Environ-
mental Research Center; 
(2) $11,000,000 for the United States Geologi-
cal Survey (including activities through the Coopera-
tive Fish and Wildlife Research Program), of which 
$6,500,000 shall be for the grant program under 
section 5(e), and of which $500,000 shall be for de-
veloping, maintaining, and updating the database 
under section 5(i); and 
(3) $10,500,000 for the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, of which $6,500,000 
shall be for the grant program under section 5(e). 
SEC. 7. DISSEMINATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Invasive Species Council, in 
coordination with the Task Force and the administering 
agencies, shall be responsible for disseminating the infor-
mation collected under this Act to the public, including 
Federal, State, and local entities, relevant policymakers, 
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