Sheboygan Press:
http://www.sheboygan-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/SHE06/801230459/1883
Editorial: U.S. must shut door to invasive species
January 23, 2008
The requirement by operators of the St. Lawrence Seaway that ocean-going ships flush their ballast water tanks with saltwater is a much-needed step toward preventing more non-native species from getting into the Great Lakes.
The ballast water — used to stabilize ships as they ply the ocean waters — often contains aquatic life not native to the Great Lakes. Once released into the lakes when the tanks are emptied, these creatures disrupt the ecosystem, threatening the survival of native fish and aquatic life.
There are already more than 180 of these invaders in the Great Lakes. Most notable are the zebra and quagga mussels that scientists say are the cause of much of the environmental damage to the lakes.
The proposed rules on flushing tanks will go into effect with the start of the shipping season in March.
Canada has required these tank-cleansing steps since 2006 and the U.S. Coast Guard requires freighter captains to exchange ballast water at sea, but most get around this rule by stating they are not carrying any ballast water. However, even "empty" tanks can still contain non-native species that get released into the lakes when the ships are in U.S. ports.
This is why a comprehensive and much stronger approach is needed to combat invasive species — and it will literally take an act of Congress to get the job done.
Congress should pass tougher rules to require sanitizing of ballast tanks — not just flushing— to completely get rid of the invaders. The technology is there to accomplish this, but cargo shippers have so far been able to stave off attempts to require sanitizing. There also needs to be more on-site inspections and enforcement.
This is the only way to protect the native fish and aquatic life in the Great Lakes. Not only are these lakes the source of one-fifth of the world's freshwater supply, they are also a vital part of the economy of the states that border them. In Wisconsin alone, Lake Michigan is vital to the sport and commercial fishing industries as well as for recreational boating and sailing.
Without Congressional action — unified with what Canada is doing — invasive species will continue to arrive and pose a threat to the viability of the Great Lakes. And the solution will only get more costly to implement.
In the meantime, we applaud the plan by Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle to invest about $6 million on an experimental ballast water treatment plan.
This involves pumping the ballast water from the ship to an onshore tank where the water is treated to kill the invading organisms and then pumped into the lake.
The ports of Milwaukee, Green Bay and Superior are being eyed for the treatment system.
This system, while laudable, isn't the kind of comprehensive approach needed.
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