The Observer, May 2004
Council's campaign against invasive sea species stretches back for past eight years
By Marilyn Leland
Deputy Director
Since 1996, the citizens’ council has had a high-priority goal of preventing non-indigenous aquatic species from establishing themselves in Alaskan waters. Millions of tons of ballast water are carried to Port Valdez in crude oil tankers. In fact, Port Valdez receives the third largest volume of ballast water of any U.S. port and much of it comes from ports already invaded by aquatic nuisance species such as European green crabs and Chinese mitten crabs.
“Invasive aquatic species are one of the four greatest threats to the world’s oceans, and can cause extremely severe environmental, economic and public health impacts.”
- Global Ballast Water Management Programme, International Maritime Organization
Our studies with Smithsonian Environmental Research Center over the last eight years have confirmed that live and viable non-indigenous species are arriving in tankers coming to Port Valdez. The research has included an extensive literature review, field surveys, ballast water exchange experiments and laboratory studies. The studies were co-sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the citizens’ council through a working group process that also included the U.S. Coast Guard, Valdez shippers, Alyeska, National Sea Grant, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
In addition to the Smithsonian research, the citizens’ council has been active in advocating for federal laws that would regulate ballast water management in Alaska and require state management plans. We commented on the draft management plan for Alaska, which has now been finalized.
Alien Invaders - Marilyn Leland, the council's deputy director, holds plastic-cased examples of two foreign species that have invaded other US ports but no, so far, Prince William Sound. On the left is a European green crab on on the right a Chinese mitten crab.
We are now shifting our focus from research into what may be arriving in ballast water, to treatment options for preventing invasions. Unfortunately, there is no one simple answer because of the various tanker designs and routes involved, and the variety of potential invaders from bacteria to fish and crabs. A number of promising studies are under way, including a test of an ozone system that has been installed on Alaska Tanker Company’s ship, the Tonsina. In the next few months, we will be working with the state of Alaska to mount a symposium to look at some of the treatment options being developed.
We have also encouraged Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. and its owner companies to help with this problem, through a resolution passed by the council board at its annual meeting in March. While it is true that treatment of so-called “clean” ballast water from tankers is a shippers’ problem, the board believes that, as with “dirty” ballast, the best solution could be an on-shore treatment plant in Valdez. So far, neither Alyeska nor the owners have considered that alternative.
On another front, I was appointed to seats on the Western Regional Panel of the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force and on the national Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Both of these bodies were formed to coordinate work on this issue on a national and regional basis. The Western Regional Panel is planning to hold its annual meeting in Anchorage September 8-9, 2004 at the Sheraton Hotel. A number of issues of interest to Alaskans will be discussed in addition to ballast water, such as how climate change may open new routes and pathways for invasions, and how northern pike affect native fish. More information about the meeting can be found on the Western Regional Panel’s web site at answest.fws.gov
For further information on the issue of invasive species, the council’s studies and links to other organizations, see our web site at www.pwsrcac.org/projects/nis.html. Our web site already contains a great deal of information about non-indigenous species, but within the next couple of months, we will be launching a large addition that will include more descriptions of the problem as it relates to Alaska along with a database on species of interest, vessels that call in Valdez and the ballast water they carry.
Finally, on a more positive note, we are still ahead of the curve compared to the rest of the country. Although we know that non-indigenous species are arriving in our ballast water, so far we have not found any that have established themselves and are causing problems. But, if treatment methods are not found that are effective and laws and regulations are not enacted to mandate treatment, Prince William Sound could become the next body of water to suffer an invasion of aquatic nuisance species.