Protecting Marine Parks and Sanctuaries from Aquatic Nuisance Species Releases from Ballast During Emergency Response Events

Commercial shipping activities that release aquatic invasive species are recognized globally as a dominant transport vector for marine invasions. Aquatic nuisance species (ANS) introductions have resulted in billions of dollars of damages and immeasurable biological devastation within the Great Lakes. National Park Service managers are working with United States Geological Survey scientists to develop and refine emergency response options for ballast from high risk ships. This is to aid Parks in reducing risk from high risk ships either during an emergency response or when de-ballasting as part of ship operations within Park waters. The National Park Service is working on developing a salvors' guide to provide guidelines for emergency treatment of ballast within Park waters if conditions require ballast discharge. Discharges of live non-native species are currently prohibited within U.S. National Park boundaries, but permanent treatment of ballast to comply with this regulation may be as far off as 2021. Having potential tools to treat ballast on a short term basis will allow ship owners/operators to comply with mandatory regulations within Park boundaries or to participate voluntarily. In addition, accidental groundings make it imperative that procedures are developed to (1) assess whether the ballast is high risk, and (2) ensure management as part of an emergency incident in a timely way. This paper will present a review of a prototype draft risk assessment, methods previously used to treat ballast, and a summary of future work designed to address this critical need. Case studies of emergency treatment will be reviewed and lessons learned discussed.