Scientists at the University of Oldenburg in Germany collected information from shippers in 2007 and 2008 and quantified the risk of spreading invasive species to marine ports and regions via ballast water, based on the level of traffic and potential suitability of the environment. The assessment did not include freshwater systems like the Great Lakes. Overall, the northwest Atlantic had a relatively low risk of invasion (0.0077) compared to the Northern European Seas (0.241) and the Mediterranean Sea (0.227). The top U.S. port was New York/New Jersey (0.178). Other top ports at risk of invasion in the Northeast-Midwest region include: Baltimore (0.053); Philadelphia (0.034); and the Mississippi River (0.033, as a whole). Most of the U.S. ports characterized as having the highest risk included ports on the West and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Vessels use ballast water to maintain the vessel's stability when transiting, based on the amount of cargo on board.  Ballast water has been cited as the source of such harmful invasive species as the green crab and zebra mussels.

On May 9, 2013, the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), an Administration initiative to coordinate federal, state, and local partners' monitoring and responses, released its 2013 Asian Carp Monitoring and Response Plan for Illinois waters. The plan details monitoring, sampling, and response activities, all of which are projected to cost $6.5 million. One major change from the 2012 plan will be the use of eDNA; eDNA sampling will still occur throughout the Illinois waters but the collection of Asian carp eDNA will not trigger an immediate sampling response "until the scientific significance of results can be further refined." The plan cited the five sampling events that occurred in 2012, none of which caught a live carp despite the many miles and hours of sampling efforts. Additional efforts in 2013 also include: increased monitoring and sampling efforts below the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) electric barriers; two planned eDNA sampling trips above the electric barriers; two planned intensive monitoring events and eDNA sampling for live Asian carp throughout the CAWS; and testing of water guns and other control technologies (carbon dioxide, attractants and fish toxicants) to assess the effectiveness and impacts.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), along with the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils, coordinated the Managing our Nation's Fisheries Conference-III last week in Washington, DC. The eight Regional Councils, which are made up of state and local stakeholders, provide guidance to NOAA on management of the federal marine fisheries from Alaska to the Caribbean. The conference occurred as legislators began discussions about reauthorizing the central piece of fisheries management legislation, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Speakers at the event include Congressman Doc Hastings (WA-04), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee with jurisdiction over fisheries in the House, as well as Senator Mark Begich (AK), Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Fisheries, Oceans, Atmosphere, and Coast Guard, which has jurisdiction over NOAA on the Senate side. Over 600 individuals associated with fisheries management, from industry to government to environmental groups, attended the event. Major fisheries in the Northeast-Midwest region managed under NOAA and the Councils include Atlantic sea scallops, summer flounder, and Atlantic cod.