Aquatic Invasive Species

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 » »

Politics as Usual Threatens Our Great Lakes

Yikes! Rumor has it that Congress has decided to dash out of town for summer recess a week early – next week to be exact – July 25! This is grave news for the Great Lakes at a time when we were seeing a lot of momentum for our issues from approval of a strong national ballast standard in the House, to the introduction of the Great Lakes Legacy Act and the signing of the Great Lakes Compact by all eight states.

The Senate has less than two weeks to approve the Coast Guard Bill that will enact our first ever Read More » »

Threat Level: Code Red, Severe Risk of Terrorist Attack

Tomorrow the St. Lawrence Seaway will open up for the new season and with it a dangerous threat – Russian born terrorists are poised to take advantage of the event to attack the United States under the watch of President Bush. Where is homeland security when you need it?

The terrorists in question are, of course, aquatic invasive species. The opening of the seaway marks the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the non-native mussel.

The pint-sized terrorists that hale from the Caspian Sea and stow away in the stabilizing ballast water of transatlantic ships first invaded our freshwater shores in the Read More » »