The Pacing of Progress as the Secret to Success for the International Ballast Water Management Regime

Abstract

The human-facilitated transfer of marine organisms between coastal ecosys-tems has become one of the more concerning issues hindering our hopes of “living with the ocean and from the ocean in a sustainable relationship.”1 Invasive species are impacting marine and freshwater ecosystems, especially areas already stressed by anthropogenic disturbance, causing irreversible changes, often with significant ecological, economic, and social impacts. Hundreds of marine species have migrated between oceans and seas following the opening of major canals around the world; furthermore, numerous species have been introduced, either intentionally or unintentionally, from fisheries, aquaculture practices and the aquarium trade. However, international shipping has come into focus as the primary vector responsible for most of the recorded marine species invasions. Commercial ships can be effective at transferring living organisms across large distances, through two equally significant mechanisms: as plankton carried in ballast water (water taken on board to stabilize the vessel at sea, an essential process for the safety of modern vessels), and as biofouling, or the species attached to the immersed parts of the vessel. Each of these vectors presents an interesting set of management challenges; however, the fact that ballast water is taken into and contained within the vessel made it the ‘low-hanging fruit’ that has been tackled first in response to heightened international awareness of threats from marine invasive species. 2017,