Ballast Water and Marine Invasive Species Prepared By: Mike Schwab

What is Ballast Water Water pumped into special tanks on ships to help stabilize Usually done in port loading/unloading Sometimes done at sea

Ballast Tanks

Ballast Water Cycle

Risks of Ballasting Times when ship is unstable Introduction of invasive species Cougar Ace – August 2006

Invasive Species A non-native species in a particular ecosystem Whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Environmental Impact 1) Limit availability of resources Competition for resources Invasive species have no native predators 2) Negative affects on Biodiversity Invasive Species flourish and natives species die Ex. Changes food web Native Species extinct Genetic pollution

Economic Impact 1) Cost to control Invasive Species Damage and control costs of 187 billion a year in aquatic species 2) Affects fisheries and maritime structures Ex. irrigation structures, power plants, and water treatment facilities

Economic Impact 3) Loss of agriculture and land Disease Loss of livestock 4) Loss of recreation dollars Tourism Water sports Fishing 5) Trade restrictions

Impact on Humans 1) Health Disease Smallpox AIDS Bird flu Water and food availability 2) Poverty Loss of livelihood Ex. Land degradation

Cases of Invasive Species

Caulerpa Taxifolia Fast growing, decorative aquarium species of sea grass Advances one inch per day Inadvertently released by the Monaco oceanographic museum in 1984 By 1997 blanketed more than 11,000 acres of the Mediterranean Ecological and economic devastation in Mediterranean

Caulerpa Taxifolia Divers in California trained to identify Instructed to remove and report location to authorities

Atlantic Coast Comb Jelly, and The Aurelia Aurita, Moon Jelly Invaded the Black Sea, a closed water environment in 1982 deliberately to handle the Aurelia Aurita that was introduced thanks to ballast water. Feeds on zooplankton, eggs, fish, and larvae Collapsed fishery worth $250 million

Invasive Species and Water Intakes Mass of basketball-sized Moon Jellyfish Shut down Pacific Gas & Electric Corp.’s (PG&E) 1,118-MW Diablo Canyon Unit Clogged cool water intake Enough were removed to fill 50 trucks

Asian Green Crab One of the most invasive of marine crustaceans Famous for invading San Francisco in 1989 Carried by ballasts as zooplankton Population came under control during an El Nino year when the zooplankton form failed to tolerate the change in water temperature

Zebra Mussel Freshwater Mussel, originally native to Russia Introduced thanks to ballast water in Lake St. Clair in 1988 Have cost around 5 billion dollars over 10 years to fisheries

Zebra Mussel

Foul pipes, fishing gear, boats, bouys, docks Increased clarity of water on Erie by factor of 5 Brought native clams to brink of extinction Each spawning can have up to 1 million eggs, and there are three spawning a year

Ballast Water Technology

Ballast Water Exchange Not a new technology Method is to empty one side of the ship’s tanks in the open ocean and replace it with ocean water 95% effective in removing invasive species from tanks To do this effectively ships would need to redesign ballast tanks: most ships now have one pipe for in and out water, can not go both directions at once. Additional pipe would allow for water to go in and out at same time

Biocide Oxidizing chemicals are bromine, iodine, and chlorine Destroys cell membranes which leads to cell death Possibility that these chemicals could react with sea water to make toxic chemicals Ozone kills organisms in the same fashion, but if it does not all dissolve into the water it can be detrimental to the environment. More effective on microscopic organisms, but not as effective on larger ones

Filtration Systems Kills 90% of organisms Fresh Water from engines cooling system mixes with ballast water at 104°F Especially effective since the ballast water is flushed out by fresh water If water is filtered as such before getting underway most of the organisms can stay in their natural habitat

Ultraviolet Light Currently used in hospitals to kill microorganisms Would have to be uses along with another technology to kill larger organisms Ineffective in killing suspended matter, and would probably need to be filtered before entering tanks to make the lamps effective.

Conclusion Getting rid of invasive species brought in by ballast water costs hundreds of Billions of dollars annually

Conclusion There are no federal standards for ballast treatment; anything could be mixed in with ballast water

Conclusion The IMO has drafted a treaty stating that there can be no more then 10 live organisms larger then 50 micrometers per cubic meter of water The Coast Guard has also issued regulations on ballast water

QUESTIONS?