Pinpoint key ports to stop aquatic invaders

摘要

Time to flex our muscles against mussels. Since they first arrived in North America in 1988, zebra mussels have made themselves at home. The small molluscs, which attach themselves to boats and clog underwater pipes, cost the US billions of dollars in pipe cleaning and repair, lost hydroelectric power, damaged boat hulls and other headaches. In a bid to stem the tide of invasive aquatic species like these, a team at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana have designed software to identify hubs in the global shipping network that have outsized roles in spreading interlopers. All told, invasive species are estimated to cost the US $120 billion a year.