Aquatic Invasive Species

A New Battle Plan in the Fight against Invasive Species

Start spreading the news, ballast water will be treated someday! And that someday is right around the corner – in just a year-in-a-half ships will not be allowed to enter the Great Lakes unless they are outfitted with the technology to disinfect ballast water and stop the discharging of invasive species. New York’s tough new rule that just passed muster the State’s Court of Appeals will protect the entire Great Lakes region because no ocean-going vessel can enter the lakes without passing through the St. Lawrence Seaway and New York’s territory. There is one more blessing too – Read More » »

Conservation Groups Praise U.S. Senators for Action on Asian Carp, Invasive Species

Great Lakes senators urge Army Corps to study how to build physical barrier to prevent invasive species from traveling between Great Lakes, Mississippi River

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 24, 2010)-Conservation groups today praised U.S. senators for taking action to stop the movement of aquatic invasive species like the Asian carp between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. In a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Great Lakes senators are urging Congress to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study how to build a physical barrier between two of North America’s largest freshwater ecosystems.

The letter to Read More » »

IJC meeting to focus on sewage overflows and other water quality problems affecting the Great Lakes

Fish on pharmaceuticals, alien invaders and poo in the Great Lakes will be on the agenda  Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 7-8) when the International Joint Commission hold its  biennial meeting in Windsor, Ontario.

The commission, which mediates Great Lakes and other border issues between the U.S.  and Canada, will discuss several weighty issues facing the lakes, including: Invasive  species, chemicals of emerging concern (fish on Prozac and other drugs), sewage  overflows and water quality.

The commission’s meeting will focus largely on its 14th Biennial report on Great Lakes Water Quality.

It was fitting that a photo of a sewage treatment plant graced the Read More » »

Better late than never: Coast Guard gets serious about attacking invasive species, regulating ballast water

After years of failing to stem the tide of invasive species entering the Great Lakes via ocean freighters, the U.S. Coast Guard will begin a series of public hearings Friday on proposed ballast water discharge regulations.

The proposed regulations would govern the amount of organisms that ships could pump into the Great Lakes and other U.S. waters when discharging ballast water.

This could be a groundbreaking regulation that the lakes have needed for over a decade. The problem is that the regulations, as proposed, wouldn’t cover all ships operating on the Great Lake for more than a decade.

The proposed rule isn’t strong Read More » »

Coast Guard Releases Draft Ballast Plan

Last week, the Coast Guard offered up standards for ballast water that would initially use those set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and eventually ratchet the standard up to meet California and New York’s standard. The regulations would apply in phases so that feasibility studies can take place to make sure ships can meet the tougher requirements.
“That loophole could swallow the law,” HOW’s Andy Buchsbaum told the Washington Post. The fear is that we Read More » »

EPA Administrator on Invasive Species, Great Lakes

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s remarks have been gaining media attention in the region–especailly her call to get tough on aquatic invasive species.

Here are some of the first ones to hit.

From the Associated Press: EPA chief reconsidering ship ballast permit

And this from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: EPA chief open to tougher policy on invasive species

You can view Lisa Jackson’s remarks on YouTube here.

Bon Appetite

OK Foodies, why should you care about the Great Lakes? They offer a cornucopia of native, succulent foods from the fresh water lakes and the rich soil of the watershed. A Great Lake’s gormet meal could begin with American caviar or duck foie gras before moving onto the main dish of roast duck, succulent whitefish or trout, Coho salmon perhaps some sea bass, sturgeon, perch, catfish or walleye. Some of these fish have been wrongly relegated to the poor man’s plate, but they could soon be on the verge of a great taste revival.

When early explorers Read More » »

Making a Wreck of History

An interesting program on the Science Channel last night focused on the ship wrecks in Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay. Apparently, Thunder Bay is the go to place for maritime archeologists, historians and students interested in studying 19th century shipping as numerous shipswrecks are spectacularly preserved in the depths of the fresh waters.

Unlike wrecks in salty seas and Oceans, the metal ships that lie in state in Lake Huron are not corroded. It is possible to really see these ships, many of which were sunk during turbulent November storms, in their former glory. Students of maritime history and nautical Read More » »

Minnesota Considering Ballast Law

First Michigan decided not to wait for the US Congress to set a national standard for ballast water and now Minnesota is considering similar statewide legislation to protect Lake Superior. The US Congress and the shippers ought to have seen this coming and they might as well accept the fact that ballast legislation is going to come to the Great Lakes.

The question is will Great Lakes ballast standards become piece meal as each state determines its own standard and permitting requirements – which will be a real hassle for shippers, or will there be one sweeping national standard Read More » »

No Time for Games

Yesterday, the Great Lakes troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as if they are here to stay all because the US Senate refuses to act now to stop the relentless march of invasive species.

The US Senate is acting as if we had all the time in the world to sit around and contemplate just how many invasive species can dance on the head of a pin. For the time being, navel gazing must give way to immediate action if we are going to save the Great Lakes and her tributaries from tipping into the great abyss of no Read More » »