Revisiting the basis for US ballast water regulations.
The transport and release of invasive organisms in ballast water has harmed ecosystems, economic activities and human health. Current US ballast water regulations intended to minimize the discharge of such organisms are based on results reported by a scientific advisory committee in 2011. Using the same methods, we re-analyzed the data evaluated by the committee as well as new data. We find that the committee's analysis was flawed, and that some treatment systems can meet limits that are 10 times (for zooplankton) or 1000 times (for phytoplankton) more stringent than the committee reported. These findings suggest that US ballast water standards, and similar standards in a recently ratified international agreement, should be re-evaluated.
Center for Research on Aquatic Bioinvasions, 5994 McBryde Avenue, Richmond, CA 94805, USA. Electronic address: acohen@bioinvasions.com.
Andrew N
AN
Cohen
Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Old Dominion University, 4600 Elkhorn Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA. Electronic address: fdobbs@odu.edu.
Fred C
FC
Dobbs
Chapema Environmental Strategies Ltd., 1324 West 22nd St, North Vancouver, British Columbia V7P 2G4, Canada. Electronic address: peter@chapmanenviro.com.
Peter M
PM
Chapman
D000818:Animals; D010839:Phytoplankton; D012767:Ships / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000379:methods; D014867:Water / Q000592:standards*; D014873:Water Pollutants; D015048:Zooplankton
D014873:Water Pollutants; D014867:Water
Ballast water; Invasive species; Pollution; Water treatment