Terms of Reference

Additional Analyses of the Effectiveness of Ballast Water Exchange Plus Treatment as a Mechanism to Reduce the Introduction and Establishment of Aquatic Invasive Species in Canadian Ports

Regional Science Response Process – Ontario & Prairie Region

August 10–11, 2020
Virtual Meeting

Chairperson: Marten Koops

Context

Transport Canada (TC) regulates the ballast water of ships to address the risks of introducing and spreading harmful aquatic species in Canada’s waters due to the movement of ballast water. Since 2006, TC has required ships to manage their ballast water through mid-ocean exchange (and flushing of residual ballast water), treatment, disposal to a reception facility, or retention on-board. In 2010, Canada acceded to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (the Convention) which will require ships to transition from ballast water exchange (BWE) to a ballast water performance standard (Regulation D-2).

Between 2010 and 2012, in response to some U.S. jurisdictions seeking greater protection against the introduction and establishment of harmful species, TC officials and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientists suggested that combining ballast water exchange with treatment may provide additional protection for certain environments. In a 2012 discussion paper on bringing the Convention into force in Canada, TC referred to this approach as exchange plus treatment (E+T), and proposed the utilization of this multi-dimensional management strategy to freshwater regions in Canada.

Since then, a number of Great Lakes states have adopted E+T, as has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for ships voyaging to the Great Lakes from beyond the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Additionally, a number of scientific studies have been undertaken to consider the implications of E+T and its effectiveness in practice.

In June 2019, TC proposed new ballast water regulations in Canada Gazette, which included requirements for ships traveling to Canadian freshwater ports to perform E+T until at least 2024. TC requires science advice from DFO on the differences in the establishment risk under various permutations of possible regulations, including the recently proposed E+T regulations, post-2024 scenarios (i.e., treatment only), and alternative permutations of E+T (e.g., E+T for the Great Lakes or GLSLR only).

The proposed ballast water regulations would also require all discharged ballast water in Canada to be treated – including ships operating domestically – to mitigate the risk of spreading species in Canada's waters. Therefore, TC also requests science-based advice from DFO on the effectiveness of utilizing BWMS on domestic transits in Canada and the Great Lakes. This advice should build upon the recently-completed DFO study that modeled the species establishment risk in various Canadian regions and habitat types due to ballast water, under the management strategies of exchange, treatment, or exchange plus treatment (DFO 2019).

Objectives

The objective of this science response process is to address the following questions posed by the client, Transport Canada:

1. When compared to ballast water exchange or ballast water treatment using ballast water management systems (BWMS), to what extent would requiring ships traveling to Canadian freshwater ports to perform exchange plus treatment reduce the establishment risk of non-indigenous/harmful species in Canada?
2. Relative to the above-mentioned scenarios, what is the expected reduction in establishment rate across Canada if exchange plus treatment was only required for ships traveling to either the Great Lakes or the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River (GLSLR) region?
3. To what extent would the utilization of BWMS on domestic transits within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River reduce the risk of spreading non-indigenous species among Canadian ports or throughout the entire region, and what is the predicted effect on establishment risk if BWMS are utilized depending on various factors?
4. What is the expected reduction in establishment risk if ballast water is treated using BWMS on domestic transits across Canada?

Expected Publications

• Science Response

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Transport Canada
• Industry
• Academia

References

DFO. 2019. Science advice on the effectiveness of ballast water exchange plus treatment as a mechanism to reduce the introduction and establishment of aquatic invasive species in Canadian ports. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2019/003.