title: Merchant ships discharging unwanted marine species in close proximity of a French aquaculture area: risks involved.
abstract: The most important oyster farming area in Europe is in a close proximity of two medium size merchant ports. Cargo ships deballast in this area before loading, releasing unwanted or noxious marine species. During a sampling campaign aboard these arriving ships, we found in some ballast water samples a huge number of potentially toxic dinoflagellates and some potentially pathogenic bacteria. A model was applied to find the potential geographical spread of the discharged ballast water. This model predicts the water to reach highly vulnerable shellfish farmed areas in six to eight days.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Environnement et Ressources Poitou-Charentes, Station de Ronce les Bains, 17390 La Tremblade, France. Electronic address: Daniel.Masson@ifremer.fr.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Genauzeau
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Le Moine
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Derrien
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000254:growth & development; D005602:France; D058865:Introduced Species; D010125:Ostreidae / Q000254:growth & development; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012767:Ships
keywords: Ballast water; La Rochelle; Pathogenic bacteria; Risk assessment; Shellfish farming; Toxin producing dinoflagellates