In has been found that Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) introductions and infestations have
harmed the economy, environment, and public health throughout the United States. AIS
infestations threaten the native fish and wildlife resources, usually through an unchecked
population growth due to the lack of natural predators or environmental limiters that were
present in the AIS historical range, but are not found in the new ecosystem. The AIS outcompete
the native fish and wildlife species and this usually results in an alteration of the
ecosystem. Many native species are irreversibly harmed or pushed to the brink of
extinction with the introduction of these unwanted invaders. It has been documented that
one of the primary methods of AIS introduction and spread is by contaminated watercraft
that are transported from water body to water body between the states.
In 2002, the Washington State Legislature began addressing the issue of interstate travel
of AIS contaminated watercraft by passing Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (ESSB)
6553. The legislation in ESSB 6553 required the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife (WDFW) and the Washington State Patrol (WSP) to develop a cooperative plan
for inspecting watercraft entering the state in an effort to interdict AIS. This resulted in
the development of a “Cooperative Boat Inspection Plan” which began to provide a
framework for the effort of interdicting AIS entering Washington State.
In 2005, the Washington State Legislature unequivocally supported the belief that AIS
were a major threat to the economy, environment and public health of the citizens and
aquatic resources of Washington State by passing ESSB 5699. The main intention voiced
in ESSB 5699 was “to prevent the introduction or spread of highly destructive species
currently not found in Washington’s waters.” The legislation accurately concluded that
prevention was and is significantly less expensive and causes far less ecological and
economical damage than controlling new infestations. The legislation in ESSB 5699
created a funding source for this purpose by implementing a fee to be added to every
Washington State watercraft registration. The funds generated from collection of the fee
are appropriated to various agencies and these agencies, in turn, have mandated duties
towards the prevention of AIS entering Washington. The legislation in ESSB 5699
mandated that WDFW and WSP would each have duties related to the enforcement of
AIS laws. While ESSB 5699 was ground breaking legislation with regards to the
prevention of AIS introduction by using enforcement as a tool for interdiction, the bill
had deficiencies concerning authority and funding allocation and these deficiencies
needed to be addressed. In 2007, with support from WDFW, the Washington State
Legislature passed ESSB 5923. The new bill now allowed WDFW to have joint access to
funds in the AIS enforcement account which had been previously managed solely by
WSP. The legislation also clarified responsibilities with regards to cooperative
enforcement efforts. It did this by naming WDFW as the primary agency in regards to
enforcement of Washington State AIS laws. ESSB 5923 also corrected a regulatory gap
by granting check station authority to WDFW to operate mandatory watercraft
inspections in an effort to interdict AIS.
The following report summarizes AIS enforcement activities that the WDFW
Enforcement Program executed during 2008 in an effort to fulfill mandated legislative
obligations.
For a complete look at the 2008 AIS Report, click here.
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