Feb 14, 2007 — We've been reporting on invasive species in the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes for years, ever since foreign freighters brought zebra mussels from the Caspian Sea. By last count, there are 183 invasives in the Great Lakes watershed. More than half of them came in the ballast of Seaway freighters. Federal laws about cleaning ships' ballast have done little to stop the invaders. Today we'll hear about how states are taking the matter into their own hands. But first, a change in message from the agency that runs the Seaway. In the past, its director has focused on those existing efforts to clean ballast water. But the Seaway's new administrator, Terry Johnson, is striking a different tone. In prepared remarks for Save the River's annual conference in Alexandria Bay, Johnson said the current system is "not adequate" and needs to be fixed quickly. Johnson spoke with David Sommerstein.