Proposal targets invasive species in the Great Lakes; Vessels using St. Lawrence Seaway would have to flush all ballast tanks
January 20, 08 by TheFleetIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
See Also:
- Fighting Great Lakes invaders at sea; Ships must flush tanks with saltwater - Detroit Free Press (great photos!)
- Are invaders riding on ships’ hulls? - Grand Rapids Press
By ELLYN FERGUSON | Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette
To curtail the influx of invasive species into the Great Lakes, the federal government wants oceangoing ships using the St. Lawrence Seaway to flush even empty ballast tanks with saltwater to kill stowaway organisms.
The tank cleanout would have to take place 200 nautical miles from any North American shore. U.S. and Canadian ships would not be affected by the rule.
Canada and the United States, which jointly operate the seaway, already require the so-called “swish and spit” practice for oceangoing ships with full ballast tanks.
More than 180 invasive aquatic species live in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration estimates non-native species such as zebra mussels, sea lamprey, round goby and others cost the region $5 billion a year in lost tourism and lower commercial fishing revenue.
A June 2007 study found that the organisms picked up at freshwater European ports where ships took on ballast managed to live in ballast tanks even after the water was discharged.
