Biodiversity wanes in New York

Throttling invasive species by TJ Sinnott

Bulwark for the Great Lakes and Hudson River by P Gerrity

Stopping ballast water "stowaways" by D Pughiuc

Biological pollutants in the Great Lakes by EL Mills, KT Holeck

Water quality signatures and the zebra mussel invasion by DA Matthews, SW Effler

Zebra mussel population dynamics: Implications for water quality modeling by CL Lange, DR Opdyke, JC Powers

Bad seeds: an introduction to invasive plants by AD Halpern, CA Boesse, AE Altor

You can help stop the plant invasion

President's message by D Ellis

Executive director's message by P Cerro-Reehil

People and places

NYWEA calendar

Sponsors at 73d Annual Meeting

Spring 2001 — Vol. 31, No. 1

Bulwark for the Great Lakes and Hudson River

— See photo essay at bottom of page —
“Sampling ballast water aboard ship.”

by Cdr. Patrick Gerrity

Every day, large quantities of ballast water from all over the world are discharged into U.S. waters. Along with this water are plants, animals, bacteria, and pathogens. These organisms range in size from microscopic to large plants and free-swimming fish, and they have the potential to become aquatic nuisance species. These species may displace native species, degrade native habitats, spread disease, and disrupt human social and economic activities that depend on water resources. Any ship carrying ballast water is a potential invasion source.

In recent years there has been increased international concern for the threats to human health, aquaculture, and coastal environments from aquatic nuisance species and diseases. The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to these concerns through a comprehensive national ballast water management program. This program complies with the National Invasive Species Act of 1996. It has the following features:

• Promotes ballast water management for operators of all vessels in waters of the U.S.
• Provides voluntary ballast water management guidelines for all vessels entering U.S. waters from outside the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ, an area more than 200 nautical miles from any shore
and in water more than 2000 meters in depth) and mandatory ballast water exchange practices for all vessels from outside the EEZ that enter the Great Lakes and Hudson River north of the George Washington Bridge
• Requires the reporting of ballast water management data by all vessels entering U.S. waters from outside the EEZ.

The U.S. Coast Guard encourages program participation from vessel operators. A mandatory reporting requirement was established to monitor participation with the program and assess ballast water delivery patterns.

Voluntary guidelines

The U.S. Coast guard promotes the following practices for vessels with ballast tanks on waters of the United States:

• Avoid ballast operations in or near marine sanctuaries, marine preserves, marine parks, or coral reefs.
• Avoid taking on ballast water:

- with harmful organisms and pathogens, such as toxic algal blooms
- near sewage outfalls
- near dredging operations
- where tidal flushing is poor or when a tidal stream is known to be more turbid
- in darkness when organisms may rise up in the water column
- in shallow water or where propellers may stir the sediment
• Clean ballast tanks regularly.
• Discharge minimal amounts of ballast water in coastal and internal waters.
• Rinse anchors and anchor chains during retrieval to remove organisms and sediments at their place of origin.
• Remove fouling organisms from hull, piping, and tanks on a regular basis and dispose of any removed substances in accordance with local, State, and Federal regulations.
• Maintain a vessel-specific ballast water management plan.
• Train vessel personnel in ballast water and sediment management and treatment procedures.

Great Lakes and Hudson River

Mandatory practices have been promulgated for all vessels from outside the EEZ that enter the Great Lakes and the Hudson River north of the George Washington Bridge. The practices are voluntary for other waters of the United States.

• Exchange ballast water beyond the EEZ.
• Retain the ballast water on board the vessel.
• Use an alternative environmentally sound method of ballast water management that has been approved in advance by the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, or discharge ballast water to an approved reception facility; or exchange ballast water in
other waters approved by the USCG Captain of the Port.

Commander Patrick G. Gerrity

Sampling ballast water aboard ship

U.S. Coast Guard personnel (left) demonstrates use of refractometer to ship's crew member. The instrument determines the refractive index of ballast water.	Deploying sampling equipment, consisting of a sounding tape with a PVC tube, to retrieve a sample from the ballast tanks.
Retrieving sample from ballast tanks through sounding tube	Filling an eye dropper with the sample from the PVC tube.
Sample placed on refractometer	Placing a drop of sample ballast water on the refractometer to determine the salinity of the ballast in the tanks. Salinity of at least 30 ppt verifies an open ocean discharge.