Portfolio VI: Exotic Species

Impacts

Interest in potential impacts from non-indigenous species remains high in the Chesapeake region, and as the Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission has asked, what will all our good work in restoring important species such as crabs and oysters come to if an unintentional non-native introduction (one thinks of MSX) turns out to cause irreparable harm to the very resources we are endeavoring to save?

This quote from Ann Swanson comes from the half-hour documentary Alien Ocean, which, as noted earlier, has been broadcast in both Maryland and Virginia. Further, the half-hour video was watched attentively at a meeting of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a very unusual agenda item for this tri-state legislative body. Clearly, an opportunity to present this issue in a highly compact, well-articulated way to such an important decision-making body presents a valuable opportunity to inform decision makers in the region. In addition, the short instructional videos on exotics produced by Maryland Sea Grant have been ordered by teachers and others to use in very targeted ways. Reaching these important young audiences will help assure that future citizens will not be caught unawares by the issue of non-indigenous species and will be more likely to understand the importance of careful stewardship of our marine resources.

The videos and fact sheets have also been distributed via direct mailing to watershed organizations and marinas in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and comprise, along with Maryland Sea Grant's non-native species web site, a significant outreach campaign to educate the public about non-indigenous species.

Maryland Sea Grant also sponsored a panel at the Year 2000 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) focused directly on the issue of non-indigenous species, moderated by the MDSG Assistant Director for Communications and Public Affairs and including a Sea Grant specialist from California, ecologists and researchers (including Gregory Ruiz), and University of Maryland philosopher Mark Sagoff, who questioned the criteria we use for judging species as "exotic" or "native." This panel clearly had an impact on the packed room, as evidenced by the discussions that ensued in the hallway and during the poster session. Subsequently, Sagoff appeared as a guest on the nationally broadcast Diane Rhem Show to present his arguments, and Sea Grant communicator Jack Greer appeared on a local Annapolis radio program to discuss Sea Grant's exotic species outreach effort, including the broadcast this August of Alien Ocean.

The ability to quantify the exact nature of the threat to the Chesapeake Bay provided by Greg Ruiz and his colleagues has helped decision makers and resource managers better understand the nature and scale of the problem. As mentioned, Ruiz has documented some 200 definite or probable invaders to the Bay and has described numerous species as having arrived via ballast water from foreign ports. Clearly this work has had an impact on those who have a responsibility for overseeing the management of ballast water disposal and exchange in our regional ports and harbors.

Furthermore, research undertaken by David Wright, Victor Kennedy and their colleagues has sharpened our knowledge of the range of the zebra mussel and quagga mussel - both potential invaders of fresh and even brackish waters in the Chesapeake's system of streams, rivers and subestuaries. This information will prove particularly valuable when and if natural resource agencies must mount an emergency response to a sudden incursion of these problematic species in local waters. In short, these findings have helped to provide a map of where invasive Dreissena species could find a toe-hold in the Bay region, a useful tool in guiding management responses and targeted efforts to track and control these species.

A valuable, even if difficult to calculate, impact of this exotic species research and outreach effort has been the improved communication and cooperation among various partners, including Maryland Sea Grant, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the Chesapeake Bay Program, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Chesapeake Bay Commission, among others. By sharing resources, information and expertise, these regional players have accomplished more than any one of them could if working alone. Without question, Maryland Sea Grant played a key leadership role in helping to build these bridges, and in helping to take information generated by a range of experts out to a broad and diverse audience, where it could have the greatest and most beneficial impact.