Invasive Species Ride in on Recession
The global recession has most likely increased the risk of ships spreading invasive species on their hulls, says the California State Lands Commission in its newly released 2015 Biennial Report on the California Marine Invasive Species Program.
The number of vessels idle for ten days or greater has increased 75 percent from pre-recession (2008) to post-recession (2013), says the commission in discussing its evaluation of ship data from July 2012 through to June 2014. This, along with slow steaming, increases the risk of species attachment and survival during transit. The most typical traveling speed of the vessels operating in California has decreased 13.8 percent, from 16.0 knots in 2008 to 13.8 knots in 2013.
Hull cleaning technology needed
California currently prohibits in-water cleaning of vessels with copper-based coatings in state waters, and this can present challenges for ship managers. The commission is therefore in discussions with stakeholders about the possible use of newly developed in-water cleaning technologies that remove the organisms and copper prior to discharge.
Ballast water treatment systems not used much
The report also examined the ballast water management practices used by ships visiting California and notes that vessel owners are beginning to install ballast water treatment technologies onboard their ships. Since 2012, 58 vessels arriving in Californian ports have reported having an installed ballast water treatment system. However, only 12 of those ships have reported managing their ballast water prior to discharge in California using their system.
In 2014, the Commission assessed the availability of ballast water treatment technologies to meet the California ballast water discharge performance standards. The report reviewed shore-based and shipboard methods of treatment and concluded that no shore-based treatment facilities able to kill or remove organisms in ballast water currently exist in the United States.
Shipboard ballast water treatment systems have not demonstrated the ability to meet the California performance standards, states the report. The lack of options available to the shipping industry with which to comply with California’s performance standards is therefore an obstacle to implementation of the standards.
Shore-based management an option
To augment existing information on shore-based ballast water treatment, the Commission is currently funding a study of the feasibility of shore-based ballast water treatment in California. The study is being managed by the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC). The DSC selected a contractor in August 2014, and the Commission approved the budget in December 2014. A final report should be available by late 2015.
Commission staff are also engaged in developing ballast water sampling tools and protocols. These protocols will be used to assess shipboard ballast water treatment system performance. The performance standards are currently scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2016. “The implementation schedule, which is set in statute, must be changed to reflect the lack of available treatment technologies, enable collection of data on shipboard treatment system performance, and receive the results of the shore-based treatment feasibility study.”
Losing Control
California’s regulation of ballast water and vessel biofouling is threatened by federal initiatives to preempt states’ authority, states the report. Bills were introduced in 2014 that would place all authority of ballast water and hull husbandry discharges with the United States Coast Guard. The Commission voted to formally oppose such legislation on June 2, 2014. Although the 2014 U.S. Congress adjourned without passing legislation that would effectively dismantle the state’s invasive species program, it is anticipated that similar legislation will be introduced in the near future.
Shipping is the major vector for transporting invasive species and is responsible for or has contributed to 79.5 percent of established aquatic introductions in North America.
The report is available here.