The Sault Star: http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=935400
Take politics out of invasive species debate, says Canadian expert; There are no easy fixes
Posted By Michael Purvis
Posted 1 day ago
Minnesota wants to put strict new regulations on both domestic and salt-water shipping in a bid to stop the spread of invasive species to Lake Superior.

An environmental group applauds the move, but at least one Canadian official questions whether more rules will have any effect unless they are based on science.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency held meetings this week to gauge public response to a proposed permit that would put ballast water releases from commercial ships under the same state rules as wastewater.

Chris Wiley, an official with both Transport Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, said he is concerned the Minnesota plan is a political solution to a problem that needs further study.

"The problem with (aquatic invasive species) is that politicians want a really easy fix, and there are no easy fixes on this one," he said.

Wiley is manager of environmental issues for Transport Canada's Ontario region, and aquatic invasive species co-ordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' central and Arctic region.

He said salt-water vessels are already tightly policed by Canadian and U.S. authorities, and fresh-water, or domestic, vessels, have yet to show they are a threat in terms of transferring invasive species from one part of the Great Lakes to another.

"The one thing I've learned in dealing with this issue is let the scientists do their job, get the politics out of it, and actually do the science, and if the science actually supports doing something with the domestic fleet then we'll do something with the domestic fleet," said Wiley.

DFO faced criticism this week from the federal environment watchdog for allegedly falling behind in tracking and responding to new threats of aquatic invasive species on the East Coast and the Great Lakes.

Both ocean-going ships and fresh-water freighters pump in and release vast quantities of ballast water to improve stability on voyages. That water is thought to be one of the major contributors to the spread of invasive species.

Jennifer Nalbone, campaign director for a binational coalition called Great Lakes United, conceded salt-water ships are the primary concern when it comes to invasive species, but domestic vessels should face scrutiny until they are proven not to be a problem.

"Until lakers demonstrate they're not transporting viruses to Lake Superior, of course it's a threat," said Nalbone, who is based in Buffalo, N.Y. "That's really what Minnesota is dealing with here."

Nalbone said federal action from the U.S. would be preferable, but until that comes, efforts from states like Minnesota and Michigan are positive moves, particularly in light of the threat from the fish-killing viral hemorrhagic septicemia.

"I'm sure none of these states actually want to regulate ballast, but they're doing it because the federal government has failed to act," she said.

Wiley said he sees the Minnesota action, like a recent Michigan prohibition from off-loading ballast water around Isle Royale National Park, as flawed and largely unenforceable.

"One of the requirements in that bill is that you can't ballast in Minnesota ports, as in you can't take, you can't discharge - that is against the law (for safety reasons) in both Canada and the U.S.," said Wiley.

Wiley said studies underway are analyzing 100 per cent of the domestic fleet's movements on the lakes, sampling tanks aboard ships for the last three years.

"We are specifically looking for VHS (viral hemorrhagic septicemia) and I'll be quite honest, so far we haven't found any," said Wiley. One of the problems is that shipping is only one factor in the spread of AIS, he said. Wiley estimated more than 70 per cent of invasive species are brought in by other means, including live bait, recreational boating, and the water bombers used to fight forest fires.

While some have suggested ballast water be treated, Wiley said there is no way the aging domestic fleet will be able to handle the "extremely" stressful process of ballast exchange without risking disaster.

"The stresses and strains on those hulls is pretty much going to guarantee they're not going to survive too long," he said.



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In response to an article in The Sault Star: http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=935400 (posted to the AIS and Nav lists on 3/9/08) see the following letter to the editor:
Letter to the Editor of the Sault Star: http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=946637
Pay close attention to ocean vessels on lakes — COMMENT ON THIS LETTER
Updated 3 days ago
In “Take politics out of invasive species debate” (March 9), Chris Wiley of Transport Canada is cited as saying that more than 70 per cent of invasive species are introduced to the Great Lakes by means other than ocean vessels, such as live bait, recreational boating, and the water bombers used to fight forest fires.

I would be interested to know where he finds these numbers.

Academic studies published by top Canadian researchers state that it is just the opposite: that in recent decades since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, ocean vessels are the source of 65 to 70 per cent of new invasive species.

The reality is that the longer ocean vessels are allowed to traverse this drinking-water reservoir without adequate protection from the biological pollution lurking in their ballast tanks, the greater the threat to the health of the ecosystem and the region's citizens.

This year will be the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the zebra mussel in the Great Lakes, but it is not an occasion worthy of celebration.

The zebra mussel has cost us billions of dollars over that 20 years, and still costs hundreds of millions of dollars more each year to control.

The sad part is that before their invasion, Canadian researchers were warning us of this threat, but nobody listened. And what has happened since? Canada still hasn't put in place the controls that would have prevented the zebra mussel from establishing itself.

Mr. Wiley is correct on one count: protecting the health of the Great Lakes should not be about politics. It should be about precaution and taking the action necessary to protect the world's largest freshwater ecosystem from tomorrow's zebra mussel.

This means proving that ocean vessels have taken the necessary steps to ensure their ballast is free of invaders, and proving that lake vessels are not accelerating the spread of invaders already here.

Brian Christie,

Executive Director, Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council


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