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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2004
Contact: Marshall Myers, Pet Industry Joint
Advisory Council, 212-452-1525
Ken Burton, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 202-208-5657
Ben Sherman, NOAA, 301-713-3066 ext. 178, cell: 202-253-5256
Irene Miles, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, 217-333-8055
Pet, Water Garden Industries,
Resource Agencies Unite to Create a New "HabitattitudeTM"
on Aquatic Invasive Species
Federal agencies and the pet industry
are teaming up to help consumers prevent the release and escape of
non-native plants and animals through HabitattitudeTM,
a new public education and outreach effort launched today at the Super Zoo
trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The government-industry coalition is
formed from the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network.
HabitattitudeTM
encourages aquarium owners and water gardeners to avoid unwanted
introductions of non-native species by adopting simple prevention steps
when faced with an unwanted aquatic plant or fish:
-Contact a retailer for proper handling advice or for possible returns.
-Give/trade with another aquarist, pond owner or water gardener.
-Donate to a local aquarium society, school or aquatic business.
-Seal aquatic plants in plastic bags and dispose in the trash.
-Contact a veterinarian or pet retailer for guidance on humane disposal of
animals.
“Beginning this fall, when aquarium
hobbyists, backyard pond owners and water gardeners purchase fish or plants
for their tanks or ponds, they'll receive the HabitattitudeTM
message," said Marshall Meyers, Executive Vice President and General Counsel
of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC). "Through collaboration
with NOAA's Sea Grant Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state
fish and wildlife agencies, the American Nursery and Landscape Association
and other industry partners, we plan to get HabitattitudeTM in front of
millions of consumers.”
HabitattitudeTM
materials will be displayed in aquarium stores, aquatic retail outlets,
hobby magazines and nursery and landscape businesses across the country, as
well as on packaging of related products.
A new Web site,
www.habitattitude.net , will help consumers to learn more about
responsible behaviors and how to prevent the spread of potential aquatic
nuisance species. The site includes information on federal and state laws
and statutes that regulate aquatic organisms, recommended alternatives to
releasing plants and animals, instructions on how individuals and clubs can
get involved, and detailed information on some of the more problematic
aquarium and water garden species that have created problems with our native
aquatic systems.
“The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Report details how we should coordinate
public education and outreach efforts on aquatic invasive species with the
aim of increasing public awareness about the importance of prevention. This
program falls right in line with that recommendation,” said retired Navy
Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for
oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “Non-native plants and animals
can cause irreparable harm to the environment and can damage recreational
and commercial uses of our aquatic resources."
“Invasive species have become a major concern for natural resource managers
in North America,” said Dick Warner, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG)
director. “HabitattitudeTM
will provide pet owners and water gardeners information that will enable
them to help them prevent the spread of such species.”
"HabitattitudeTM
builds on the successful government, business and citizen partnership that
is helping stem the spread of the zebra mussel across the United States,"
said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams. "While most
invasive species come into the country as hitchhikers through commercial
trade, some aquarium owners and water gardeners have unknowingly complicated
the challenge invasive species pose for conserving America's wildlife and
landscapes. HabitattitudeTM
will give them the knowledge they need to help them prevent invasive species
introductions and conserve the natural world they appreciate so much."
PIJAC and its members, who represent 70 percent of the U.S. pet industry and
90 percent of the aquarium industry, have committed over $1.1 million to the
campaign. Their contribution leveraged an $89,000 grant from NOAA’s National
Sea Grant College Program to Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and a $100,000 U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service effort. For its part, IISG has developed a
multifaceted outreach plan to educate retailers, aquarium hobbyists and
garden pond owners in support of the HabitattitudeTM
campaign.
NOAA is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine
resources and the habitat on which they depend, through scientific research,
management and enforcement. NOAA's stewardship of these resources benefits
the nation by supporting coastal communities, while helping to provide safe
and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the
American public. To learn more about NOAA, visit
www.noaa.gov.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
To learn more about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit
www.fws.gov .
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The Illinois-Indiana Sea
Grant College Program is one of 30 National Sea Grant College Programs.
Created by Congress in 1966, Sea Grant combines university, government,
business and industry expertise to address coastal and Great Lakes needs.
Funding is provided by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), U. S. Department of Commerce, the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University at West Lafayette, Indiana.
Irene Miles
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
376 NSRC
1101 W. Peabody Dr.
Urbana, Il 61801
Phone: 217-333-8055
Fax: 217-333-8046
miles@illinois.edu |
