New Invasive Species Coalition Holds Inaugural Meeting

The Boating and Fishing Aquatic Invasive Species Coalition, a group formed to present a united front on aquatic invasive species (AIS) at the federal level, held its first meeting.

The coalition unanimously agreed to support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Brandon Road Study, a report that evaluates options for preventing the spread of AIS from the Mississippi River Basin into the Great Lakes and steps to speed up the Corps study timeline. The Great Lakes region is home to more than 3.1 million boaters and accounts for 26.8 percent of all registered boats in the United States.

The following organizations participated in the coalition meeting: American Sportfishing Association; Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies; Association of Marina Industries; B.A.S.S. LLC; BoatUS; Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation; Kentucky Department of Natural Resources; Marine Retailers Association of the Americas; Michigan Marine Trades Association; Lake Erie Marine Trades Association; Trout Unlimited; and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) which spearheaded the formation of the coalition.

NMMA recently released a position paper analyzing the impacts of AIS on communities, ecosystems, and the future of recreational boating. The paper outlines steps to reduce the spread of AIS including making changes in boat designs, boater education programs, and federal, state, and local decontamination and inspection programs.

Click here to read NMMA’s position paper.