Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS16 Invasive Species: Benthic and Pelagic Organisms

Date: Friday, February 16, 2001, Time: 9:15:00 AM

Location: Dona Ana

Tamburri, M, N, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Moss Landing, USA, mario@mbari.org

Wasson, K, , Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Watsonville, USA, research@elkhornslough.org

Matsuda, M, , Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Yokosuka, Japan, Msy_Matsuda@shi.co.jp

A NEW DEOXYGENATION TECHNIQUE DECREASES SURVIVAL OF AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES WHILE REDUCING BALLAST TANK CORROSION

Non-indigenous species introductions are increasing in frequency and causing substantial damage to environments and economies. One of the most important mechanisms for the introduction of aquatic organisms is transport in ship ballast waters. Mid-ocean ballast water exchange has been recommended to reduce the transport of coastal organisms through shipping, but this practice involves safety risks and is difficult to enforce. We carried out experiments to explore the effectiveness of an alternative technique. Purging of oxygen from ballast tanks with nitrogen was recently found to be a cost-effective technique for reducing corrosion and therefore extending ship life. We tested the tolerance of larvae of known invasive invertebrate species to low levels of oxygen, comparable to those resulting from this ballast tank treatment, and detected significant levels of mortality. This novel deoxygenation technique may therefore have benefits to both marine conservation and the shipping industry.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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