# MUCC & invasive species



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

MUCC Policy Report
5/17/05

Note: The policy staff has decided to try out a new feature in the policy reports. To keep you better informed, we will be providing a more indepth report on an emerging issue. The following invasive species report is our first attempt at this new feature. Let us know what you think or if there are issues that you would like to see featured. 

The threat of invasive species brings legislation out of the woodwork.

Aquatic invasive species have been entering the Great Lakes since the 1800s. At least 160 exotic species have entered the Lakes, with the rate of introduction rising in correspondence with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959. The greatest influx of invasive species every year comes from ballast water discharged into the Great Lakes from oceangoing vessels. Since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, 77% of the new organisms established in the Great Lakes are attributed to ballast water discharge.

What is ballast water and why isnt it regulated?

Ballast water is necessary to ships that take on large amounts of freight. It helps to stabilize the ship by reducing stress on the hull, reduces rocking (both side to side and front to rear), levels out the freighter so it steers easily and propels efficiently, and helps it ride lower in the water so it can pass under loading rigs and chutes. Ships that are weighed down with freight have no or very little ballast water because the weight of the freight performs all the duties mentioned above. As the freight is unloaded, the ships will slowly take on ballast water to compensate for the loss of weight from the freight. As the ships take on new freight they will slowly dump the ballast water, creating a cycle of taking on and dumping ballast water as overseas ships move throughout the Great Lakes Basin. 

Ballast water IS regulated! However, ships from overseas come into the Great Lakes weighted down with imports and they are officially classified as having No Ballast on Board or NOBOB. Ships that claim NOBOB are officially exempt from ballast water regulations. These ships make multiple stops in the Great Lakes, picking up and disposing of ballast water as described above and, while they come into the Great Lakes officially carrying no ballast water, what they do carry in the ballast tanks is sludge that often contains invasive species. The organism-rich sludge mixes with the ballast water picked up in the Great Lakes which is then dumped at the next Great Lakes port. This is the process that facilitates the introduction of the majority of invasive species into the Great Lakes. Legislation is needed that will close this dangerous loophole.

Invasive Species in the Great Lakes

The problems and challenges caused by invasive species have increased over the years as the Great Lakes region takes its place in the worlds ever expanding global economy. We are likely to see more imports and exports from around the globe in the future, not less, and the transport of these goods leads to the greater threat of invasive species being imported along with lumber, textiles and other goods. Some invasive species already causing harm in the Great Lakes are:

Zebra mussels: Maybe the most well known of the Great Lakes invasive species, the zebra mussel arrived in Lake St. Clair via ballast water from transoceanic vessels in 1988. Zebra mussels are great at filtering water, but this can be negative as well as positive. They are hard at work killing off all the native North American bivalves and cause reproductive problems in water fowl when eaten because of the large amount of contaminants in their bodies. Zebra mussels cost Great Lakes residents millions of dollars every year because of the nuisance they cause by building up in large numbers on any surface they can find, such as blocking intake pipes at water treatment plants. 

Goby: The round and tube nosed goby first showed up in the St. Clair River in 1990, probably introduced into the Great Lakes through ballast water discharge from transoceanic shipping. The goby takes over prime spawning sites, traditionally used by native species. They change the balance of the ecosystem because they aggressively out-compete native species by spawning more often and longer than native species, they can live in degraded waters and are more aggressive than native species. The goby has shown a rapid rate of expansion throughout the Great Lakes.

Spiny water flea: The spiny water flea is a tiny, barbed crustacean that fist appeared in Lake Huron in 1984. Commonly thought to have entered the Great Lakes from the ballast water of a transoceanic ship, the water flea competes directly for food with some native Great Lakes species like young perch and other small fish. The water flea has an enormous capacity to propagate and is now found in all the Great Lakes and in some inland lakes. The water flea could be a food source for native Great Lakes fish, but its spines keep most would-be predators away.

Current Legislation

With the connection between ballast water discharge and invasive species introduction, it is little wonder that the legislature, both state and federal, has begin to push for legislation that would better regulate ballast water discharge within the Great Lakes.

Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Debbie Stabenow (R-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have introduced a new piece of federal legislation, the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act (NAISA) of 2005 that would serve to detect, prevent and respond to aquatic invasive species. On the ballast water front, it would provide up to $6 million in funding to the Coast Guard to implement regulations that will end invasive species infiltration through ballast water. It would strengthen NAISA of 1996 and is considered to be a preventative measure that could keep the invasives out, instead of having to deal with their effects once they are already in the system.

Michigan legislation (HB4603 & SB332) introduced by Representative Palsrock (R- Benzie County) and Senator Birkholz (R- Saugatuck), would define invasive species in ballast water containing invasive species as pollution and subject to regulation by the states. It would require ocean going ships stopping in Michigans ports to get a permit and to treat ballast water to kill invasive species and would authorize creation of the multi-state Great Lakes Aquatic Nuisance Species Coalition, which would help achieve coordination among the Great Lakes states on measure to prevent and manage invasive species. These bills have passed through the House and Senate and are expected to reach the Governors desk for signing sometime this week (5/16/05). Michigan legislators hope this push for invasive species legislation that will eventually spread to all the Great Lakes states.

Michigans Senators and Representatives, both Congressional and state, deserve praise for working so efficiently and effectively to move such important legislation. These efforts are bi-partisan in nature and both look toward a proactive, instead of a reactive approach. By preventing further introduction of invasive species, Great Lakes taxpayers can be saved millions of dollars in costs to control new exotic species. However, we cannot forget that the Great Lakes are not just bordered by the United States. Canada is also a partner in the Great Lakes and if legislation is to be effective we need to see, not only bi-partisan support and legislation, but bi-national. 

If you would like to help protect the Great Lakes from Aquatic Invasive Species, let your Senators and Representative know what an important issue this is to you. Thank them for working so hard to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species and tell them that you would like to see legislation passed and implemented that will regulate all ballast water, including the NOBOBs, not just in Michigan, but in the entire Great Lakes Basin, United States and Canada. 

If you arent sure who your state legislators are you can go to www.michiganlegislature.gov. Please contact Jason Dinsmore or Erin McDonough at MUCC for more information ([email protected], [email protected]).

Donna Stine
Policy Specialist
Michigan United Conservation Clubs
PO Box 30235
2101 Wood Street
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 346-6487 - phone
(517) 371-1505 - Fax
[email protected]


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