Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act - Summer

Invasive species are a growing concern of the United States government as they pose substantial risks to the economy, the environment, and human health. This costs the United States $120 billion each year for prevention and management (Pimentel et al. 2005). Pueraria lobata, commonly known as Japanese Kudzu, has been deemed “the vine that ate the South”. Introduced to the United States in 1876 to combat soil erosion, Kudzu, with the help of humans, has grown and spread over the entire Southeastern U.S. The plant can grow as much as one foot per day, up to a total of sixty feet during the growing season. Given this high productivity and competitive edge, it is able to drastically impact the ecosystem by smothering other plants through rapid vertical and horizontal growth patterns, reducing plant biodiversity. Today, Kudzu costs the United States over 500 million dollars annually in agricultural losses, damage to ecosystems, and remediation. 7.4 million acres have been rendered useless because of this invasive species (Forseth, Jr. & Innis 2004). Channa argus, or the Northern Snakehead, is an extremely aggressive predatory fish that has the ability to travel and survive out of water for up to four days. Native to Eastern Asia, it currently has no natural predators in America. The species was accidentally released from a fish market in the 1990s, and has since been outcompeting native species in several local water systems. Listed as an injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act, this invasive species has recently cost the Maryland government approximately $110,000 in damages (EEA 2005). The broader ecosystem effects of the Northern Snakehead have not been fully evaluated because it is a newly introduced species; however, due to its top predatory nature it should be controlled to prevent spread. In March 2013, the Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act was proposed as a solution to the invasive species problem. In this report, H.R. 996 is analyzed using a variety of parameters to provide readers with a nuanced perspective of the bill and its potential to tackle the issue of invasives. We begin with a detailed examination of the science behind invasive species, then consider the different controversies and opposition.  Next, the proposed solutions of the act are presented, along with the explanatory science. Finally, an assessment of the act’s feasibility is discussed. 

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