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An unwelcome addition to a morning walk (last week) on the Michigan beach: a multitude of little striped shells. Sighting the occasional bivalve shell used to be a rarity, but now that Zebra Mussels have invaded drains and pipes in the Great Lakes, clumps of shells are common along the sandy beach. A conventional view is that opening the Great Lakes to ocean traffic via the St. Lawrence Seaway was a shortsighted eco-disaster that when the final audit is done will wind up being a net loss to the region. Consider however..
We are rapidly heading towards a one-world homogeneous ecosystem, with associated loss of species diversity. Rapid transportation, habitat destruction (including by introduced species, whether accidentally or on purpose), etc. are a disaster for many species. So the different continents are becoming more similar in their flora and fauna. It's not a new process. It has happened time and again during geological history, but people have accelarated the rate at which this process can occur.
Basically it's a question of pacing, then. If we want to hurry the disaster along, then we should just proceed with development thoughtlessly, and bear whatever costs may come. Economize on care, and let the old saw apply: "if you think education is expensive, just try ignorance."
Actually, it's not just the zebra mussel (which has become a problem far beyond the Great Lakes, also infesting the Mississippi and Missouri river systems.) According to The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant program:
An estimated 130 nonindigenous species have been introduced to the Great Lakes, most of them arriving since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959. Several of these species -- including the sea lamprey, alewife, smelt, carp and milfoil -- have contributed to massive changes in Great Lakes fish and plant communities.
The sea lamprey with its icky mouth of concentric teeth wreaked havoc with the sport fish population, latching onto big game fish and sucking them dry. And to anyone who has raked up mountains of rotting alewives, or seen the hopeless spectacle of bulldozers burying the teeming alewive stench under piles of sand so the family can have a nice beach picnic, it should come as no surprise that The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation makes no mention whatsoever of nonindigenous species in its Economic Impact Study of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System
Fortunately the beach is a lot nicer this year, and with Lake Michigan at a low level, there's more beach to enjoy. Too bad I'm in California right now.
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