Ballast water: the story of a plague
Submitted by webmaster on Sun, 2007/01/28 - 14:45.
Ever since man has sailed, he has unintentionally transported creatures from one location to another. Many of these stowaways have created havoc in their destinations. The ‘invasion’ of sea-urchins in the Canary Islands – which has severely reduced in-shore fish stocks – and the decimation by a virus of the indigenous oyster in the Netherlands – causing grave economic stress in the oyster industry – are only two of many marine examples around the world. Both have had a negative impact on these countries’ economies. While the problem is multi-facetted, one way to prevent the introduction of invasive species is to clean ships’ ballast water either when it is taken on board or before it is dumped. This programme will look at the economic consequences of invasive species and methods of cleaning ballast water.
Further information
Addressing the issue of marine invasive species.
Examples of invasive species transported by ballast water.
Read more about one innovative method of cleaning ballast water.
