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Aquatic Nuisance Species in the New York State Canal and Hudson River Systems and the Great Lakes Basin: An Economic and Environmental Assessment

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Abstract

A total of 154 aquatic alien species have invaded the New York State Canal and Hudson River systems and a total of 162 aquatic species have invaded the Great Lakes Basin. Some of these invasive species are causing significant damage and control costs in both aquatic ecosystems. In the New York State Canal and Hudson River systems, the nonindigenous species are causing an estimated $500 million in economic losses each year. The economic and environmental situation in the Great Lakes Basin is far more serious from nonindigenous species, with losses estimated to be about $5.7 billion dollars per year. Commercial and sport fishing suffer the most from the biological invasions, with about $400 million in losses reported for the New York State Canal and Hudson River systems and $4.5 billion in losses reported for the Great Lakes Basin.

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Acknowledgments

This investigation was kindly supported by an award from the Fish and Wildlife Service, Number 50181 M499. I thank Michael Goehle of the Fish and Wildlife Service, David Lodge of the University of Notre Dame, and Anne Wilson and Marcia Pimentel of Cornell University for their valuable comments and suggestions that helped strengthen this report.

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  1. Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, 5126 Comstock Hall, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA

    David Pimentel

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Correspondence to David Pimentel.

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Pimentel, D. Aquatic Nuisance Species in the New York State Canal and Hudson River Systems and the Great Lakes Basin: An Economic and Environmental Assessment. Environmental Management 35, 692–702 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0214-7

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