With invasive species causing $138 billion in U.S. economic losses yearly, a new online database from the Great Lakes Commission aims to help e-commerce buyers and sellers in 50 states identify non-native aquatic plants and animals to avoid.

The goal of the AquaSale database is to provide a central repository of information about varying state and federal regulations. It assists online retailers and buyers in avoiding shipping invasive species across interstates, and introducing associated threats to freshwater ecosystems and damaging state economies.

“The growing popularity of online sales of plants and animals has created new challenges in preventing the spread of harmful invasive species to the Great Lakes,” noted Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “Many invasive plants and animals can be purchased online with just a few clicks.”

The GLC is spearheading efforts to protect the environment and economy of the Great Lakes region, especially from aquatic invasive species bought online and improperly released when no longer needed.

Bruno thanked the National Sea Grant Law Center for providing legal help to ensure regulations are understandable. The center also hosts the database and will maintain it with current invasive species regulations.

Over 80% of the sellers of aquatic invasive species are located outside the Great Lakes region, according to tracking information by the Great Lakes Detector of Invasive Aquatics in Trade ( GLDIATR ).

Sales are typically made using eBay, Bing, Amazon and Etsy search engines. Common invasive species bought online include Asian clams, Malaysian trumpet snails, Red Swamp Crayfish and a wide variety of plants such as water lettuce and Indian hygrophila.

AquaSale was made possible by a grant agreement between the GLC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Rising Costs of Invasive Species

The report stated that invasive species have resulted in “an estimated $1.22 trillion burden on the U.S. economy between 1960 and 2020—costing billions annually.”

To hem the tide of rising economic damage, the department has undertaken large projects such as managing "invasive plant treatments in the West, conservation efforts to protect forest birds in Hawaii and new tools to manage damaging species such as invasive pythons, rodents, mussels and carps,” it noted.

Preventative Measures Needed

Invasive species can also cause public health threats, damage infrastructure, pose wildfire threats and change forests, fisheries and ranges.

“Non-native invasive species have significant economic and environmental impacts in the United States. Studies show that economic losses caused by non-native invasive species exceed $138 billion annually,” says the U.S. Forest Service. “Many species listed by the Federal Government as threatened or endangered have been negatively affected by non-native invasive species.”

Proactive deterrents can lower economic costs and protect invasive species from negatively impacting the environment and potentially cause the extinction of native U.S. plant and animal species.

Effective management helps to protect people and places, conserve native plants and wildlife, and preserve the recreational and cultural values that millions of Americans enjoy.