Invasive marine species and shipping...a water tale

Invasive species in our California coastal waters cause considerable ecological marine wildlife and plant damage. The transportation of invasive species has provided growing collateral damage as our international shipping industry has grown.

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin regulating the discharge of ballast water from ships to prevent invasive species from harming local ecosystems.

"The EPA regulation is plainly contrary to the congressional intent embodied in the (Clean Water Act)," Illston wrote in the ruling issued Monday in San Francisco.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston's order follows her ruling last year that the EPA could not exempt shipping companies from having to obtain permits to dump ballast water, which is held at the bottom of ships to keep them stable.

Invasive species are known to cause significant economic and environmental damage. Marine species such as mollusks often are inadvertently transported in the ballast water of ships and discharged at ports far from their origins.

On Monday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that requires the California State Lands Commission to adopt regulations for ballast water discharges from cargo ships, cruise liners and other vessels by January 2008.

How does this affect us individually? It points out the need for all of us to "buy locally".

Rampant international trade is an unsustainable way of life. Not only does it use tremendous amounts of energy, but it transports invasive materials and species around the world, causing ecological imbalances and loss of biodiversity.