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.

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.

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

Numerical Simulation of Sloshing of Water in Ship Tanks During Sequential Ballast Water Exchange in Seaways

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Arai ◽  
Humberto S. Makiyama ◽  
Liang-Yee Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Ballast Water ◽  
Water Exchange ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Exchange Method ◽  
Ballast Tank ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
Merchant Ship ◽  
Ballast Tanks

In recent years, ballast water has been blamed for a variety of marine pollution problems, particularly for transporting harmful aquatic organisms from one part of the world to another and damaging the ecosystem of the new areas. A relatively simple mechanism to control this problem is to exchange ballast water on the high seas between ports in order to remove invasive species before the ship reaches its destination. However, some issues regarding ballast exchange on the open sea need to be addressed before this operation is introduced. One of them is the sloshing of the sea water in the ballast tank. In this paper, ballast water exchange on the open sea by means of the Sequential exchange method is simulated. Irregular seaways are generated from the ISSC spectrum, and the sloshing response of the water in the ballast tanks of a large merchant ship is numerically computed by using a finite difference code developed by the authors. The results showed that there is little possibility that severe sloshing presents a serious problem in regard to the ballast tank’s strength, especially in the case of a bulk carrier whose tanks are generally short in length, with sloshing anticipated only at the low water level.

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

Ballast-mediated animal introductions in the Laurentian Great Lakes: retrospective and prospective analyses

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 740-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor A Grigorovich ◽  
Robert I Colautti ◽  
Edward L Mills ◽  
Kristen Holeck ◽  
Albert G Ballert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Laurentian Great Lakes ◽  
Traffic Patterns ◽  
Physicochemical Factors ◽  
Ballast Tanks ◽  
Shipping Traffic ◽  
High Representation ◽  
Prospective Analyses

Since completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, at least 43 nonindigenous species (NIS) of animals and protists have established in the Laurentian Great Lakes, of which ~67% were attributed to discharge of ballast water from commercial ships. Twenty-three NIS were first discovered in four "hotspot" areas with a high representation of NIS, most notably the Lake Huron – Lake Erie corridor. Despite implementation of the voluntary (1989, Canada) and mandatory (1993, U.S.A.) ballast water exchange (BWE) regulations, NIS were discovered at a higher rate during the 1990s than in the preceding three decades. Here we integrate knowledge of species' invasion histories, shipping traffic patterns, and physicochemical factors that constrain species' survivorship during ballast-mediated transfer to assess the risk of future introductions to the Great Lakes. Our risk-assessment model identified 26 high-risk species that are likely to survive intercontinental transfer in ballast tanks. Of these, 10 species have already invaded the Great Lakes. An additional 37 lower-risk species, of which six have already invaded, show some but not all attributes needed for successful introduction under current BWE management. Our model indicates that the Great Lakes remain vulnerable to ship-mediated NIS invasions.

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.

Ballast Wafer Exchange as a Means of Controlling Dispersal of Freshwater Organisms by Ships

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 2086-2093 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Locke ◽  
D. M. Reid ◽  
H. C. van Leeuwen ◽  
W.G. Sprules ◽  
J. T. Carlton
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Ballast Water ◽  
Laurentian Great Lakes ◽  
Zooplankton Species ◽  
Water Control ◽  
Species Invasion ◽  
Freshwater Organisms ◽  
Ballast Tanks ◽  
St Lawrence River

During May–December 1990 and March–May 1991, 546 foreign ocean-going vessels entered the Laurentian Great Lakes and upper St. Lawrence River, areas protected by the Great Lakes Ballast Water Control Guidelines. Between 88 and 94% of the vessels exchanged their ballast water with seawater as required by the guidelines. Living representatives of 11 invertebrate phyla were sampled from ballast tanks. Between 14 and 33% of ships that exchanged freshwater ballast in midocean carried living freshwater-tolerant zooplankton at the time of entry to the Seaway, although these included many taxa already found in the Great Lakes. Four freshwater-tolerant zooplankton species that were identified as living specimens in ballast water have apparently not been recorded from the Great Lakes. Voluntary ballast water controls reduced but did not eliminate the risk of species invasion, since some ships did not comply with the guidelines, and even ships that did exchange ballast water could introduce viable freshwater-tolerant organisms into the Great Lakes. About half of the ballast water carried into the Seaway by ocean-going vessels and lakers each year originates from the St. Lawrence River, portions of which are not yet protected by any ballast controls.

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