The Feature Presentation

"Do we realize that industry, which has been our good servant, might make a poor master?"

~ Aldo Leopold

We've hinted at it before, but it's time to come out and say it.

The National Wildlife Federation is kicking off our new campaign to hold multinational shipping corporations responsible for the damage done by invasive species. We're going to be placing ads throughout the lakeside counties of New York state as well as Albany.

Our message is simple: we need to tell the New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, that we want him to make shipping conglomerates pay for their role in bringing invasive species into our lakes.

New York state taxpayers have sent millions of dollars toward bailouts for the shipping industry in the form of cleanup fees and other environmental regulations. We trusted these companies to do their own math, and they keep telling us they don't owe a thing. Now it's time to put them in front of a judge.

You may remember that Mr. Schneiderman stood up to national banks when he refused to take an unfair settlement in a nationwide lawsuit over the mortgage crisis. People across the country send him letters thanking him for his courage when other states decided to roll over. He took in donations from dozens of out-of-state residents who were thankful someone stood up to the bailed-out executives. That took courage, and we want him to show the same courage here.

For our supporters in New York state, we will be rolling out a group petition and a page with contact information for your state legislators and Mr. Schneiderman's office.

For all our supporters, it's time to spread the word to people who don't read our blog. Not only are they missing out, but we'll need all the voices we can get.

Check us out on Facebook. And watch a sneak preview of our first ad while you're at it.

This is going to be big - and we'll need your help to make it bigger. Friend us, email us, and tell us what you think.

We're going to make the multinational shippers pay their tab. Join us.

Let's Save Our Lakes

We’re rolling out an awareness campaign – local TV channels and radio stations have generously donated airtime. During these 30 second segments, we’re going to educate ourselves and our neighbors on how to keep our water clean.

Here are the tips we will be shining the spotlight on:

Disconnect your downspout from the sewer system.

Use grass, soil, clay bricks outside (rather than pavement, gravel), so that we can minimize sewage overflows and so that rainwater can soak into the ground.

Avoid pesticides.

Don’t flush or pour chemicals or pharmaceuticals down the drain.

Take unused drugs back to the pharmacy or to a hazardous waste disposal site.

Don’t introduce any foreign fish or species into our waterways. Don’t dump your aquarium fish anywhere, including the toilet.

Avoid antibacterial soap because it contains riclosan, which is toxic to wildlife and converts to a form of dioxin in the water.

Let’s continue to push forward and ensure clean water for our children and generations to come.

Barbara L works for the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes office.

The Dangers of Invasive Species

Ballast water is carried by ships from port to port in order to stabilize the ship when it is not fully loaded with cargo. Ships intake water at one port and subsequently release it when loading cargo at another port. Some ballasts release enough water to fill up an entire high school gym. Unfortunately, during this process foreign species from one ecological system can be introduced into another. These invasive species have had serious impacts on the Great Lakes. Most notably, eroding the foundation of the natural food chain and threatening long lived commercial and recreational fish species. Invasive species can also disrupt water infrastructure and impose high control costs. The invasive species Sea Lamprey alone is estimated to cost over $500 million annually in lost fishing opportunities and other indirect economic impacts.

Today, the main tool used to manage ballast water discharge is ballast water exchange, mandated by the National Invasive Species Act. Ships are required to discharge coastal ballast water mid-voyage and replace it with oceanic water in hopes of flushing out all of the coastal species. The effectiveness of this system however is highly questionable.

Since 1989, the year the National Invasive Species Act was introduced, the rate of introduction of invasive species has actually increased, primarily due to the ineffectiveness of ballast water exchange. There are several issues that should raise concern regarding this stopgap system. First, ballast tanks are full of impediments and curves, making it difficult to fully flush out all of the water. During a standard exchange, certain areas of a ballast tank may not fully clear, rendering the exchange ineffectual.
Second, invasive species can accumulate in tank sediments, which are not necessarily removed during water exchange. These sediments form a sludge which sticks to the sides of the ballast tanks and are extremely resistant to removal from simple water flow. Unfortunately, these organisms can survive in the small volume of water that would be left after a ballast tank is fully pumped out.

This problem is exacerbated by ships who are exempt from ballast water exchange when they declare “No Ballast on Board.” These ships, while containing no ballast water, often contain this dangerous sludge. When they reach the Great Lakes and subsequently intake and discharge ballast water there, invasive species from the sludge are released into the Great Lakes.

Finally, ballast water exchange is an extremely costly procedure considering its overall effectiveness. Ballast exchange is a much more complex procedure than simply emptying and filling a ship. The weight of onboard cargo and ballast water must be considered when doing the exchange. Miscalculations can result in significant structural damages to a ship. Further, the time costs to cargo companies are extensive as well, as the exchange can take up to 41 hours for larger cargo ships. If we are going to force freight companies to spend resources to clean their ballast water, we might as well make sure they are spending efficiently.
In conclusion, it is the position of the National Wildlife Federation that ballast water exchange is a costly and ineffective procedure for combating invasive species in the Great Lakes. While it surely helps more than it hurts, it is far from a perfect system, and its many drawbacks necessitate the introduction of new preventive measures into the Federal legislature. As you will no doubt hear in subsequent statements, other more viable methods, such as filtration and hydro-cyclone technology, are readily available. Alternatively, the EPA could impose certain standards and force the market to adapt with better technology.