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

Options for Nonindigenous Species Control and Their Economic Impact on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway: A Survey

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (01) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Anastassios N. Perakis ◽  
Zhiyong Yang
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nonindigenous Species ◽  
Decision Problems ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Adverse Side Effects ◽  
Ecological Problems

Nonindigenous species (NIS) cause substantial economic and ecological problems in the United States and other countries with marine trade. Current legislation and regulations require mandatory ballast water exchange for those ships entering the Great Lakes. Due to the low compliance rate, and some inherent defects of legislation, the current status of NIS control is not very encouraging. Several technical and legislative options have been proposed to improve the efficiency of NIS control. The most promising methods include filtration with ultraviolet, heat, and ballast water exchange. No one method, however, can 100% effectively solve the NIS problem. Moreover, the mandatory requirements may induce modal shifts from marine to rail or truck mode on the Great Lakes, which may cause several adverse side effects on the economy and the environment. The decision problems for the cargo owners and the legislative body are also formulated.

scholarly journals EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BALLAST WATER EXCHANGE POLICY IN THE GREAT LAKES

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1321-1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Ricciardi ◽  
Hugh J. MacIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Exchange Policy

Invertebrate resting stages in residual ballast sediment of transoceanic ships

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1090-1103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A Bailey ◽  
Ian C Duggan ◽  
Philip T Jenkins ◽  
Hugh J MacIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Invasion Risk ◽  
Resting Stages ◽  
The Past ◽  
Predictive Variables ◽  
Primary Vector

Ballast water has been the primary vector of nonindigenous species (NIS) to the Laurentian Great Lakes over the past 45 years. Although ballast water exchange regulations were implemented in 1993 to reduce propagule loads, new NIS continue to be discovered. A possible explanation for this trend is the importance of alternative vectors, such as residual ballast of ships claiming "no ballast on board". We investigate resting stages of invertebrates in residual ballast sediments of transoceanic ships as a possible vector of NIS to the Great Lakes. To model the introduction effort potentially associated with this vector, we collected sediment samples from 39 ships entering the Great Lakes and measured the density, viability, and species richness of resting stages contained therein. Viable resting stages of NIS were found in 32% of ships, at a mean density of 3.0 × 105·ship–1. Temperature, salinity, and removal of eggs from sediment during incubation had a significant impact on total abundance and species richness of hatched taxa. A total of 21 NIS were identified, consisting exclusively of rotifers and cladocerans. Salinity of residual ballast water and geographic region of ballast uptake were predictive variables for profiling invasion risk due to ships, although explained variability was low.

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.

scholarly journals Genomic and Microscopic Analysis of Ballast Water in the Great Lakes Region

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2441 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Wright ◽  
Carys L. Mitchelmore ◽  
Allen Place ◽  
Ernest Williams ◽  
Celia Orano-Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Significant Advance ◽  
Individual Organism ◽  
Irreversible Effects ◽  
Taxonomic Assignments ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Invasive aquatic species can have damaging effects on fisheries and aquaculture through significant, and irreversible, effects on biodiversity. Human health may also be affected. To combat this threat the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention for Ballast Water and Sediments (BWMC) came into force in September 2017. U.S. Federal and IMO ballast water standards for discharged organisms stipulate discharge limits for different size classes of organisms. Several studies including recent trials aboard Great Lakes freighters have shown that many phytoplankton found in ballast water do not fall into the regulated 10–50 µM size class. Such issues illustrate the need for new methods of assessing microorganism populations that will supersede laborious microscopy requiring rare technical expertise. Recent progress has been made in the use of DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid)-based methods as a means of identifying the appearance of invasive species in aquatic environments. A significant advance has been the development of high throughput sequencing (HTS), which has expanded DNA barcoding, relating to an individual organism, into second generation sequencing (metabarcoding), capable of mapping whole populations of organisms in an environmental sample. Several recent studies of HTS in ships’ ballast water, have shown that the technique has the capacity for detecting potentially harmful taxonomic groups and is capable of differentiating among water from different sources. The current study was undertaken to investigate the suitability (or otherwise) of HTS as a tool for ballast water management. Possible applications include improved risk assessment relating to invasive species. Feasibility for indicative testing for ballast water treatment efficacy was also addressed. However, pending analysis of treated samples, the current study was confined to a comparison of HTS and microscope counts in untreated samples. A correlation of visual and molecular taxonomic assignments of microorganisms found in the ballast water from different ports and during different seasons indicated that such a comparison was best conducted at Family level, although Principal Components Analysis showed that the two methods differed qualitatively among major taxonomic groups.

Invertebrates associated with residual ballast water and sediments of cargo-carrying ships entering the Great Lakes

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 2463-2474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian C Duggan ◽  
Colin DA van Overdijk ◽  
Sarah A Bailey ◽  
Philip T Jenkins ◽  
Helene Limén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Open Ocean ◽  
Nonindigenous Species ◽  
Residual Water ◽  
Ocean Water ◽  
Water Fraction

Most ships entering the Great Lakes carry cargo and declare “no-ballast-on board” (NOBOB) status. Approximately 250 of these vessels annually load Great Lakes’ ballast water when they offload inbound cargo and then discharge this water (which has now mixed with residual water previously present in the tanks) when they load outbound cargo. This procedure potentially allows nonindigenous species present in ballast residuals to invade the Great Lakes. We collected residual sediment, water, and associated organisms from 38 NOBOB ships entering the Great Lakes. We recorded seven established Great Lakes’ nonindigenous species, including some discovered since ballast water exchange was implemented. Occurrences of species not yet invaded indicate that this vector provides further opportunity for invasion. Collectively, NOBOB vessels appear to constitute a greater risk than ballasted vessels, as they make up a greater proportion of the traffic entering the lakes (~90%), and they do not undergo ballast exchange. Invertebrates in residual water appear to have a greater opportunity for discharge than those in sediments, although most in the water fraction have already invaded this system. Invertebrate numbers in residual freshwater ballast could be dramatically lowered if these vessels flushed with open-ocean water prior to entering the Great Lakes.

Design of a risk assessment methodology for the introduction of invasive species from ship ballast waters

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 474-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abderrahmane Bouda ◽  
Nour El Islam Bachari ◽  
Lylia Bahmed ◽  
Ryad Boubenia
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Convention ◽  
Environmental Similarity ◽  
Process Factors ◽  
Shipping Traffic ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Ballast water of merchant ship is a source of introduction of invasive species around the globe. The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitative risk assessment applied to a model port, the Port of Arzew in Algeria, and based on an analysis of this port’s shipping traffic. Design/methodology/approach – The risk assessment for introduction of invasive species is interpreted in the form of a probabilistic process, with a combination of two probabilities. The first probability is related to the ability of a species to arrive to the destination (recipient port), depending on the quantity of water ballast discharged and the duration of voyage. The second one is based on the species ability to survive in their new environment, which depends on the environmental similarity between donor port and Arzew port. Findings – This assessment’s outcome consists on a classification of scenarios regarding their acceptability. Consequently, it helped to classify donor ports according to a risk scale, from low risk to high-risk donor ports. Research limitations/implications – The phenomenon of invasion of aquatic species is a complex process. Factors such as adaptation and tolerance of species, the attendance or absence of predators, were not taken into account in this study. Practical implications – This study could be used by the maritime administration as a decision-making tool regarding the issue of exemptions under the IMO International Convention on the Management of Ballast Water and Sediments 2004. Originality/value – This is one of the first known studies in Algeria and dealing with ballast water management. The results of this assessment provide useful information to policy makers, in order to develop a national strategy to reduce the impact of shipping pollution on the marine environment.

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