Sea-faring ships, ballast water, and invasive species . . . Learn more:
Ships use water as ballast to add weight and increase their stability. But that water can bring invasive species into the Great Lakes from elsewhere.
“They’re bringing in all the stuff that’s in the water. So zooplankton, fish, plants, bacteria, diseases, all those sorts of things,” explains Tim Campbell, Invasive Species Specialist with the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
He says to minimize the problem, the U.S government now asks large sea-faring ships to exchange any freshwater in their holds with salt-water mid-ocean.
Most salt-water organisms cannot survive in the fresh water of the Great Lakes, so over the past ten years this policy has helped reduce the number of new invasive species entering the Great Lakes.
Get Schooled:
- Learn more about preventing ballast water introductions of invasive species, from the National Wildlife Federation.
- Despite these efforts, at least one invasive species has entered the lakes. Learn more in the Journal Sentinel’s article.
- Ship in some quick facts about the ballast water examination of ships.
Hear More:
Tim Campbell discusses the chain of events caused by invasive species.
The fine print:
- CurrentCast is produced in partnership with Cornell University’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. Learn more at http://www.currentcast.org.
