CLEVELAND, OH--Calling the threat of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes one of the most significant and urgent ecological issues facing the United States, the director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) said today that aggressive federal action is needed to stop the introduction and spread of these aquatic invaders from ballast tanks of vessels entering the lakes, including ships declared to have no ballast on board.
“Because aquatic invasive species are so damaging to the ecosystem and so difficult to eradicate once established, preventing their introduction must be the primary focus of federal action,” said ODNR Director Sam Speck, in written testimony presented at a public meeting held by the U.S. Coast Guard. He urged the Coast Guard to exercise its full authority in aggressively and decisively combating this threat.
Speck’s statement cited the invasive zebra mussel and round goby as two such species that have caused incalculable environmental and economic damage in Lake Erie by disrupting the food chain so vital to the lake’s sportfish especially walleye, perch and smallmouth bass.
He said that ballast water discharges from vessels entering the Great Lakes are the single most important conduit for aquatic invasive species into the region.
“While nearly 90 percent of all ships entering the Great Lakes declare their status as ‘no ballast on board’ [NOBOB], thus exempting them from inspection under current Coast Guard policy, such vessels can actually contain living organisms, including invasive species. Failure to enact mandatory management practices for NOBOBs would represent an enormous shortfall in the overall effort to prevent the immeasurable biological threats that these aquatic invasive species pose for the Great Lakes ecosystem,” he said.
Speck is also immediate past chair of the Great Lakes Commission and chair of the Water Management Working Group of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.
Gary Isbell, administrator for fish management and research with the ODNR Division of Wildlife, also testified before the Coast Guard today. Isbell said that each additional introduction of an aquatic invasive species further threatens sport and commercial fishing in the Great Lakes, a $4.5 billion industry. “Every time an ocean-going ship opens a ballast tank in the Great Lakes, it can represent a dangerous ecological experiment,” he said.
The Coast Guard is seeking public comment in developing a federal management strategy to deal with invasion risks posed by NOBOB vessels.