Invasive Species and Ballast Water Management Briefs

Two meetings intended to address the difficult problem of aquatic nuisance species and techniques involving ballast water management to combat the problem have been announced.

The Great Lakes Regional Waterways Management Forum, sponsored by the US Coast Guard, will meet in Cleveland today. Topics on the agenda include ballast water management, disposal of dry cargo residue, and the aids to navigation systems. Elsewhere, The Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force, sponsored by the Fish and Wildlife Service, will meet in Arlington, Virginia on October 28 and 29.

U.S. and International regulatory agencies are trying to move towards a common standard for ballast water handling, exchange, and treatment in an effort to combat the growing problem of invasive species. The balkanized approach used by U.S. states and municipalities to address the issue, especially in light of the lack of a federal standard, has many ship owners concerned. The installation of ballast water treatment system can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and yet, in most places, there is no guarantee that any one system will be approved for use, once installed.

MarEx readers can access and download an article on this subject, taken from our September 2007 edition by clicking HERE.