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5. Rapid Response vs. Rapid Scientific Assessment
Rapid response to new species invasions may help managers, industries, and researchers establish the nature of a new invasive species, its current and potential distributions, vectors of dispersal, potential ecological and industrial impacts, and the potential control and/or eradication options. For example, when notified of a new invasive species in the U.S., the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one of the oldest invasive species-fighting organizations in the United States, organizes a 'New Pest Advisory Group' consisting of government officials and appropriate experts. This group meets and acts quickly to discuss the known biology of the organism, its potential damage and range, mitigation strategies, and possible actions. Based on these discussions, the group makes a recommendation to APHIS to either take action, or not, on the newly detected exotic pest. This process was used to respond to the discovery of the invasive pine shoot beetle in 1992 on a Christmas tree plantation near Cleveland. Within a few days of being notified, APHIS brought together concerned parties from industry, academia, and state and federal agencies in a "New Pest Advisory Group" to share information and develop response strategies. Through this process, they were able to rapidly establish the extent of its distribution and potential impacts on industry, and start the process to develop a regulatory response (Haack and Poland 2001).
The idea of developing a rapid response capability for the Great Lakes is more controversial, especially if eradication is the goal. However, rapid response plans are under consideration at various levels of government and therefore cannot be ignored. The nature of the aquatic environment generally makes rapid response for eradication impractical, except when the nonindigenous population is small, localized, and located where it can be easily and rapidly isolated (see Section 4). Consequently, dedicating resources to a stand-by generic rapid response team aimed at quickly responding to and eradicating a new invasion is impractical and economically inefficient. From an aquatic perspective, rapid response is a very poor and inadequate second choice, not a substitution for prevention. Eradication of AIS is virtually never a possible response in the Great Lakes.
There presently does not exist an established framework under which rapid scientific assessment of new aquatic invader populations can be supported and carried out. Yet gathering and verifying information and compiling it into summary findings and recommendations is a necessary precursor in support of informed and effective resource management decisions that do not waste taxpayer funds jousting with "aquatic windmills". When a new invasion is reported, a team of appropriate experts needs to be quickly assembled to gather and verify information and assess whether the invasion is a candidate for attempted eradication, control, or adaptive management. Adaptive management is likely to be the end-strategy of most aquatic species invasions, (i.e., due to changes in the invaded ecosystem caused by introduction of a nonindigenous species, such as changes in light, turbidity, nutrients, and populations of existing species, management of such ecosystems for water quality and fisheries must be adapted to the altered conditions). This requires revision of management strategies (i.e., adaptive management) that can only be accomplished on the basis of scientific understanding of the changes that have occurred.
A framework needs to be developed under which a rapid scientific invasion assessment team can be assembled and activated in response to reports of new species. Rapid assessment of new AIS arrivals can be useful in helping resource managers become aware of new demands on the ecosystem and to plan management actions. For example, the Fish Health Committee under the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has developed a model program and risk assessment guidelines for evaluating new fish diseases that may be useful in developing a similar AIS framework.
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