Washington State Aquatic Nuisance Species Committee: Report to the 2012 Legislature

This report is submitted to the 2012 Legislature to meet the biennial reporting directive of Chapter 77.60.130 RCW. This is the Aquatic Nuisance Species Committee’s (ANSC) sixth biennial report to the Legislature since its establishment under SSB 6294 (2000 c 149).

The ANSC was formed to foster state, federal, tribal, and private cooperation on Aquatic Nuisance Species issues and implement the Washington State ANS Management Plan. Members worked to cooperatively identify and implement tools and management practices to minimize the unauthorized or accidental introduction and spread of nonnative aquatic nuisance species such as Spartina, milfoil, Brazilian elodea, invasive tunicates, crayfish, nutria, and zebra and quagga mussels. The ANSC believes that we have met the directives of this legislation and that future work can best be accomplished under the Washington Invasive Species Council. This report summarizes the ANSC’s key accomplishments since 2000 and focuses on a set of eight final recommendations including:

1. End the Aquatic Nuisance Species Committee as a legislatively-established independent committee and transition those responsibilities to the Washington Invasive Species Council;
2. Revise/enhance Department of Fish and Wildlife’s aquatic invasive species statutes on policy and authorities levels;
3. Continue support and enhance Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Ballast Water Management Program;
4. Address Increasing AIS Risks from Hull Fouling;
5. Continue support and enhance the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s AIS prevention and enforcement program;
6. Continue support of the Department of Agriculture’s Noxious Weed Control Board programs;
7. Continue support of the Department of Ecology’s Aquatic Weeds Program; and
8. Continue support of multi-agency Spartina eradication programs.