How do ballast water foreign species affect the economy?
A. One study estimates that the total costs of invasive species in the United States amount to more than $100 billion each year. For example, the zebra mussel invasion has caused billions of dollars in damages by clogging the water systems of cities, factories, and power plants. Similarly, the invasive sea lamprey has decimated trout and other fish stocks in the Great Lakes, resulting in $13 million a year being spent by Canada and the U.S. in an attempt to control this pest.
