Title 16 › Chapter 67— AQUATIC NUISANCE PREVENTION AND CONTROL › Subchapter I— GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 4702
Defines key words used in the chapter. It gives plain meanings for 19 terms so people know what the rules refer to. Aquatic nuisance species: a nonnative species that harms native plants or animals, ecosystems, or water-based businesses and recreation. Assistant Secretary: the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Ballast water: water and sediment used to balance a ship. Director: the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Exclusive economic zone: the U.S. EEZ set by Proclamation Number 5030 (March 10, 1983) and Canada’s equivalent zone. Environmentally sound: ways to prevent or control aquatic pests that avoid ecosystem harm and non-target effects and favor integrated pest management and nonchemical methods. Great Lakes: Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron (including Lake St. Clair), Michigan, Superior, the named connecting rivers (Saint Mary’s, Saint Clair, Detroit, Niagara, and the Saint Lawrence to the Canadian border), and all waters in their drainage basin. Great Lakes region: the eight States that touch the Great Lakes. Indian tribe: any tribe, band, nation, or organized Native group, including Alaska Native villages or regional corporations defined under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, that is eligible for U.S. Indian programs. Interstate organization: an entity created by an interstate compact approved by Congress, a federal law, or an international agreement that represents multiple States, tribes, or governments and has a role in managing land or natural resources. Nonindigenous species: any species or viable biological material that moves beyond its historic range, including across countries. Secretary: the Secretary of the department where the Coast Guard operates. State: each State, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Recreational vessel: as defined in 33 U.S.C. 1362. Task Force: the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force established under section 4721. Territorial sea: the band of sea measured from the U.S. baseline as set by Proclamation Number 5928 (December 27, 1988). Under Secretary: the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Waters of the United States: the navigable waters plus the territorial sea. Unintentional introduction: a nonnative species arriving because of other activities, for example moved in ballast or in water used to transport fish, mollusks, or crustaceans for aquaculture or other purposes.
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Citation
16 U.S.C. § 4702
Title 16 — Conservation
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60