National Invasive Species Council

On February 3, 1999, then-President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13112 (EO), which established the National Invasive Species Council (Council) and provided guiding principles for how the Council should operate. The general purpose of the Council is to provide coordination of all federal agency activities relative to non-native and invasive species. There are two primary differences between the Council and the ANS Task Force. First, the ANS Task Force is established in legislation, which provides for long-term stability of the program. Executive orders can be rescinded by a subsequent administration at will. Second, the ANS Task Force addresses only aquatic plants and animals, whereas the Council is structured to address all invasive species, aquatic and terrestrial.

The EO also established the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC), which operates under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to provide advice and recommendations to the Council. While the Council is comprised of Cabinet level representatives of the departments that house the relevant federal agencies (e.g. Departments of the Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, etc.), ISAC is comprised of representatives from academia, various industries, state governments, and regional entities.

Another important aspect of the EO is that it mandated the development of the National Invasive Species Management Plan (Plan). That plan, entitled Meeting the Invasive Species Challenge, was developed by ISAC during the first 12 months after their establishment and published in 2001. The Plan provides broad guidance regarding actions that need to be initiated in order to adequately address the complicated issues associated with prevention, control, and management of non-native and invasive species.

A cooperative program of state, federal agencies and the private sector administered by the
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.*

* Current site content modified from original content developed by the University of Southern Mississippi/College of Marine Sciences/Gulf Coast Research Laboratory through a grant administered by the Gulf of Mexico Program.