Reply to the comment by Reid and Hudson on “Rate of species introductions in the Great Lakes via ships’ ballast water and sediments”

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 554-555
Author(s):  
John M Drake ◽  
David M Lodge
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Species Introductions

Diapausing zooplankton eggs remain viable despite exposure to open-ocean ballast water exchange: evidence from in situ exposure experiments

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek K. Gray ◽  
Hugh J. MacIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Cold Storage ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Egg Viability ◽  
Ocean Water ◽  
Diapausing Eggs ◽  
Species Introductions ◽  
Ballast Tanks

To reduce the transfer of nonindigenous species, regulations require transoceanic ships to exchange ballast with ocean water before discharging into the Great Lakes. Although ballast water exchange (BWE) is effective for live freshwater animals, laboratory experiments provide mixed results with regards to its impact on diapausing zooplankton eggs. We conducted an in situ test of the effectiveness of BWE for treating diapausing eggs in ballast sediments. Incubation chambers containing ballast sediment were placed in ballast tanks of cargo vessels transiting from North America to Europe. Each vessel had paired ballast tanks, one of which remained filled with Great Lakes water (control), while the second was exchanged with mid-ocean water. Laboratory viability tests were then conducted to compare viability of eggs recovered from sediments placed in both treatments, as well as identical sediments that remained at the laboratory in cold storage. No significant differences in egg viability were detected between treatments, but more species hatched from sediment that remained in cold storage. Results indicate that physical conditions in ballast tanks may affect egg viability, but saltwater exposure does not eliminate the risk of species introductions via diapausing eggs. Strategies that minimize sediment accumulation in ballast tanks can reduce the risk of species introductions via diapausing eggs.

Rate of species introductions in the Great Lakes via ships' ballast water and sediments

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 530-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M Drake ◽  
David M Lodge
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Brachionus Plicatilis ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Freshwater Species ◽  
Species Introduction ◽  
Seasonal Timing ◽  
Species Introductions ◽  
Ballast Tanks ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

We report results from a study of species in ballast tanks of ships entering the Great Lakes between 2000 and 2002. We collected 1349 individuals from at least 93 unique taxonomic groups, of which approximately half were identified to species. We estimated that the zooplankton assemblage in ballast water destined for the Great Lakes comprised from 200 to 1000 unique taxa consisting of both freshwater and marine species. Between 14 and 39 of these taxa have not yet been recorded from the Great Lakes. Further, 13.9% of individual specimens identified to the species level were from species not previously collected from the Great Lakes. We collected seven nonindigenous freshwater species not currently found in the Great Lakes: Brachionus plicatilis, Cyclocypria kinkaidia, Maraenobiotus insignipes, Microcyclops rubellus, Microcyclops varicans, Neomysis awatchensis, and Paracyclops chiltoni. We found no evidence that ship age, seasonal timing, or age of ballast water affected the abundance of individuals or species in the ballast tanks. To our knowledge, these are the first extrapolations of data from ballast water collections to estimate the rate of species introduction to any ecosystem.

Comment on “Rate of species introductions in the Great Lakes via ships’ ballast water and sediments”

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet W Reid ◽  
Patrick L Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Laurentian Great Lakes ◽  
Great Lakes Region ◽  
Species Introductions ◽  
Neoergasilus Japonicus ◽  
Brackish Water Species ◽  
Current List ◽  
Water Species

The four species of freshwater copepod crustaceans found in ballast water or sediments in ships and characterized as “nonindigenous” to the Laurentian Great Lakes region by Drake and Lodge (Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 64: 530–538 (2007)) are all widespread, North American natives. Drake and Lodge’s use of these native species to estimate the size of the “source pool” of the richness of potential invasive species resulted in an overestimation of its size. We list the fresh- and brackish-water species of copepods found in or on ships in the Great Lakes and discuss taxonomic and other questions pertaining to some of them. We suggest that Skistodiaptomus pallidus, Cyclops strenuus, Salmincola lotae, Nitokra incerta, and Onychocamptus mohammed be removed from the current list of nonindigenous copepod and branchiuran species established in the Great Lakes system, leaving seven species: Eurytemora affinis, Megacyclops viridis, Neoergasilus japonicus, Heteropsyllus nunni, Nitokra hibernica, Schizopera borutzkyi, and Argulus japonicus.

Considerations in the Design of the Primary Treatment for Ballast Systems

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (01) ◽  
pp. 49-60
Author(s):  
Michael G. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Water Treatment ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Primary Treatment ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Secondary Treatment ◽  
Bulk Carrier ◽  
Ballast Water Treatment ◽  
Mechanical Separation ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Investigations are currently underway to establish effective primary and secondary ballast water treatment methods to minimize the potential for the introduction of additional nonindigenous aquatic species into the Great Lakes and other U.S. coastal waters. This treatment could be used in place of mid-ocean ballast exchange currently required by the U.S. Coast Guard for all vessels entering the Great Lakes in ballast from beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Primary and secondary treatment could provide environmental protection for both Ballast On Board (BOB) vessels, which are required to perform mid-ocean ballast exchange before entering the Great Lakes, and No Ballast On Board (NOBOB) vessels, which are currently exempt from any ballast exchange requirements. Primary treatment using some form of mechanical separation to 100 urn or 50 um followed by secondary treatment using 254 nm UV irradiation or some form of chemical treatment are currently leading candidates. Over the past six years, the Great Lakes Ballast Technology Demonstration Project (GLBTDP) has undertaken the full-scale evaluation of 340 m3/h (1500 U.S. gpm) ballast water mechanical separation using an automatic backwashing screen filter, hydrocyclone, and automatic backwashing disk filter. This experience provides the basis for the investigation of various ballast system design issues that must be considered in the selection and design of the primary ballast water treatment. This investigation is based upon the ballast system of a typical Seaway size bulk carrier using port and starboard 2000 m3/h (8800 U.S. gpm) main ballast pumps. A discrete multicriterion optimization tradeoff study using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is also presented to illustrate a rational method for determining the best choice for primary ballast water treatment for such a Seaway size bulk carrier.

EVALUATING AN INVASIVE SPECIES POLICY: BALLAST WATER EXCHANGE IN THE GREAT LAKES

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Costello ◽  
John M. Drake ◽  
David M. Lodge
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Invasive Species Policy

Dynamics and short-term survival of toxic cyanobacteria species in ballast water from NOBOB vessels transiting the Great Lakes—implications for HAB invasions

Harmful Algae ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 519-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina A. Doblin ◽  
Kathryn J. Coyne ◽  
Johanna M. Rinta-Kanto ◽  
Steven W. Wilhelm ◽  
Fred C. Dobbs
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Toxic Cyanobacteria ◽  
Short Term Survival

Invasion of Lake Ontario by the Ponto–Caspian predatory cladoceran Cercopagis pengoi

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J MacIsaac ◽  
Igor A Grigorovich ◽  
James A Hoyle ◽  
Norman D Yan ◽  
Vadim E Panov
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Resting Eggs ◽  
The Body ◽  
Population Densities ◽  
Exchange Programs ◽  
Neva Estuary ◽  
Cercopagis Pengoi ◽  
Source Populations

Cercopagis pengoi, a waterflea native to the Ponto-Caspian region, was discovered during 1998 in Lake Ontario. Individuals were found throughout the lake during summer snagged on sportfishing lines. The population included parthenogenetic (92%) and sexual (2%) females and males (6%). Cercopagis has a very long caudal appendage that is more than five times the body length and terminates in a distinctive loop. Females and males from Lake Ontario were significantly smaller than individuals from the Neva Estuary, Baltic Sea. In Eurasia, C. pengoi occurs in relatively warm fresh and brackish waters (0-14‰) at population densities usually <3000 individuals·m-3; mean and maximum population densities in Lake Ontario were 170 and 322 individuals·m-3, respectively. The presence of females with resting eggs indicates that Cercopagis will likely establish in Lake Ontario. As with other recently introduced invertebrates, Cercopagis likely was transported to the Great Lakes in ballast water from eastern Europe. The rapid influx of Ponto-Caspian species into the Great Lakes warrants further study including identification of source populations, mechanisms of dispersal, impacts on recipient ecosystems, and efficacy of ballast water exchange programs.

Modeling ships' ballast water as invasion threats to the Great Lakes

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (7) ◽  
pp. 1245-1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J MacIsaac ◽  
Thomas C Robbins ◽  
Mark A Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Propagule Pressure ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Invasion Process ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Invasion Models ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Shipping Traffic

The spread of nonindigenous species (NIS) in aquatic ecosystems provides an opportunity to develop new perspectives on the invasion process. In this paper we review existing invasion models, most of which were developed to describe invasions of terrestrial habitats, and propose an alternative that explores long-distance invasions mediated by discharge of contaminated ballast water by ships inbound to the Great Lakes. Based on current knowledge of shipping traffic to the Great Lakes, our model predicts that mid-ocean exchange of ballast water lowers propagule delivery by approximately three to four orders of magnitude relative to unexchanged ballast water. Propagule pressure of individual ships that enter the Great Lakes loaded with cargo and that declare "no ballast on board" (NOBOB) is typically one to two orders of magnitude higher than that of vessels that exchange ballast. Because NOBOB vessels dominate (~90%) inbound traffic into the Great Lakes, these vessels collectively appear to pose the greatest risk of new introductions, even though their individual risks are low.

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