EPA sued over new ballast water discharge rules.

[ewurm]

Three groups have sued to make rules about the exchange of cargo ship ballast water more stringent in order to cut down on the exchange of invasive species.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090113/ap_on_re_us/invasive_species_1

 

[loach43]

Any other known invasive sp. besides zebra mussels? They didn't even mention potentially invasive plants. That could be an even worse situation. I suspect it would be easier in general for plant life to tag along with a vessel without notice.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

naturally.
thats why we have gobies, zebra/quagga mussels, dungeness crabs, mitten crabs, and comb jellies.

 

[loach43]

Well, I figured there had to be others. The article didn't go into specifics.

 

[Gator]

You'd think that someone would have come up with some sort of retro fit device that could be placed inside the ships that destroys any living organism that enters and exits the ballast tanks. Like a powerful grinder type device that beats the S*!T out of and kills any large organisms and a super UV light that kills the rest.

 

[koop171]

You'd think that someone would have come up with some sort of retro fit device that could be placed inside the ships that destroys any living organism that enters and exits the ballast tanks. Like a powerful grinder type device that beats the S*!T out of and kills any large organisms and a super UV light that kills the rest.

Solid concept. A mass UV and a Mass blender. lol

 

[zennzzo]

It has been the position of the shipping industry, that Ballast pumps "DO" grind any living thing into slurry...
I think the main culprit would have to be what grows on the surface of the vessel...

The EPA fails to state they outlawed the use of COPPER based bottom paint which effectivly eliminated the growth that clings to the bottom.

It is a double edge sword.

Copper for the prevention and possible heavy metal contamination (in the application and re-application process, not after cured) or the for sure growth from cling-ons.
It seems to me that sword is sharp on only one side...

 

[MultispeciesTamer]

in my opinion the great lakes are messed up, thell never be the same. we need to bring in more forage fish such as all kinds of shad and herrings. we need to increase the forage fish food to sustain the population then we need to cut all salmon stocks exept coho. still keep putting trout (lakers,rainbows,steelhead,browns,etc). And to add to the fisheries we need to stock striped bass. I personally dont think the kings will ever come back to full strength, but yet we keep stocking them as numbers dwindle.

 

[sandtiger]

in my opinion the great lakes are messed up, thell never be the same. we need to bring in more forage fish such as all kinds of shad and herrings. we need to increase the forage fish food to sustain the population then we need to cut all salmon stocks exept coho. still keep putting trout (lakers,rainbows,steelhead,browns,etc). And to add to the fisheries we need to stock striped bass. I personally dont think the kings will ever come back to full strength, but yet we keep stocking them as numbers dwindle.

Coho's, kings, rainbows and steelheads...none of these belong in the great lakes anyway.

 

[MN_Rebel]

in my opinion the great lakes are messed up, thell never be the same. we need to bring in more forage fish such as all kinds of shad and herrings. we need to increase the forage fish food to sustain the population then we need to cut all salmon stocks exept coho. still keep putting trout (lakers,rainbows,steelhead,browns,etc). And to add to the fisheries we need to stock striped bass. I personally dont think the kings will ever come back to full strength, but yet we keep stocking them as numbers dwindle.

I don't think we want to stock more forage fish in Great Lakes as some of them are threatening to the rare and threatened Great lakes cisco/whitefish species such as Bloater, Kiyi and smaller whitefish species. Rainbow, steelhead, brown trouts and any salmon species are not native to the Great Lakes except the lake trout and the brook trout. And Great Lakes do not need another exotic gamefish like wipers or stripers to make the problems more worse, we have ENOUGH gamefish swimming in the Great Lakes. Thats right salmons and trouts are on Exotic List of Great Lakes. I personally think stripers/wipers are better off in the smaller inland lakes that's not connected to Great Lakes.