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| Close up of zebra mussels. Photo: MNR |
Too much salt is harmful to your health – and death to aquatic invasive species, when it’s added to the water in which they are lurking. That’s the basis of a possible and promising new method for treating the ballast tanks of Great Lakes ships with brine to eliminate invasive species. The protocol worked so well in lab tests, it is now being field-tested.
The brine (water containing 7.5 times more salt than seawater) has been shown to kill freshwater and coastal ocean-dwelling organisms, when they are held in it for a period of time.
Managing this project is the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN), which boasts more than 30 researchers from 21 partner universities and five federal laboratories. CAISN is tackling the problem of invasive, non-native aquatic species entering Canadian lakes and marine ecosystems in eastern and western Canada as well as the Great Lakes.
To date, CAISN has collected samples from 20 ocean-going ships over three years to trace how the invaders get in and how they establish once they arrive. Most of the hull and ballast water tank samples have been processed and 60 different species identified, including species already known to have invaded the Great Lakes. Although testing of the samples has not been fully completed, the results have not reported any new invasive species so far.
Click here to view a map of the project area
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About Aquatic Invasive Species and CAISN
• Increased population growth and international travel and trade have led to the introduction and transportation of aquatic invasive species throughout Canada. Invasive non-native species are one of the world’s most serious environmental problems and the leading cause of biodiversity loss in lake ecosystems. The estimated rate of invasion in the Great Lakes is one species every seven months, adding to the more than 180 non-native aquatic species that have already become established.
• Data collected by CAISN about aquatic invasive species in Canadian ports will go into a national database that will include zooplankton, phytoplankton, bacteria and viruses transported via ballast water. Those results will help identify how federal regulations for ballast water management can be improved, and also contribute to an international database that can be used to reveal how commercial shipping facilitates invasions on a global level.
• The CAISN studies increase our understanding of the invasion process, identify existing invasions and help enhance our ability to predict and prevent new aquatic invasive species from harming Canada’s valuable aquatic ecosystems.
Project Partners:
- Environment Canada
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Ministry of Natural Resources
- Ministry of the Environment
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
- Shipping Federation of Canada
- Transport Canada
- University of Windsor
For more information, contact:
- Jeff Brinsmead, Invasive Species Biologist, Biodiversity Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough (705) 755-5424
- Penny Kollar, Network Manager, Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN), Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), University of Windsor, (519) 253,3000 Ext. 3751