Rats! Marine Waterfront Hazards
Efforts to Reduce Rat Infestations in Alaska's Ports and Harbors
Rats are a harmful invasive species that adversely affect boat wiring, seafood quality, ground nesting seabirds, and human health. Steps can be taken to control them.
A friend of this author, Terry Johnson with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service in Homer, Alaska has been working on a publication concerning rats and the harm they cause to the marine environment.
Terry states that rats are the third most successful mammal on earth, "because of its spread across the globe, its adaptation to a wide range of environments, and its ability to thrive in close proximity to its chief enemy, man. The rat’s successes impose costs on its hosts and neighbors: disease and contamination, destruction of food and other goods, damage to equipment and infrastructure, and devastation of wild bird populations and other wildlife."
Threats Posed by Rats - Rats cause disease, damage property and threaten wildlife. Some threats are:
- Acting as a vector or transmission source for diseases including bubonic plague and typhus
- Damage to buildings, equipment and property that have substantial costs, can lead to fires and other public safety concerns
- Personal Injury with over 14,000 people a year are bitten by rats each year in the United States
- Contamination and loss of food stuffs. Rats account for the loss of a third of the world's food harvest
- Destruction of nesting seabirds. Seabirds cannot thrive in areas infested with rats
- Public contact with control chemicals and other disposal equipment
Efforts to Reduce Rat Populations - Sea Grant and the Alaska Board of Game have been working to reduce rat numbers. A state law was passed that prohibits vessels, seafood processors and marinas from harboring rats. A story related to Dutch Harbor was published in the Anchorage Daily News: Aleutian ports wield new weapon in war on rats. Many public partners have come together to develop the Stop Rats in Alaska Project. Their website provides information on rats related to wildlife impacts, damage to boats, infestations in towns, rat laws, recent news stories, and how to order rat control kits.
Impact of Rats as Invasive Species - A group of researchers from Cornell University published a paper, Environmental and Economic Costs of Nonindigenous Species in the United States, that delineates the damage caused by invasive species in the United States and rats scored high in their summary. The cost of to control and the damage caused by rats total $19 billion a year. One last resource is a paper on the impact rats have on seabirds: Severity of the Effects of Invasive Rats on Seabirds: A Global Review.
Rats have a huge impact on life in the marine environment. They can contaminate processed seafood, cause shipboard fires, and threaten coastal wildlife. Boaters and those interested in preserving the marine environment should consider assisting natural resource managers with controlling rats.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
