Development of a protocol for sampling and analysis of ballast water in Jamaica Desarrollo de un protocolo de muestreo y análisis de agua de lastre en Jamaica
Achsah A. Mitchell1*, Mona K. Webber1, Dayne Buddo2* & Dale Webber3*
Abstract ]]>
The transfer of ballast by the international shipping industry has negatively impacted the environment. To design such a protocol for the area, the ballast water tanks of seven bulk cargo vessels entering a Jamaican port were sampled between January 28, 2010 and August 17, 2010. Vessels originated from five ports and used three main routes, some of which conducted ballast water exchange. Twenty-six preserved and 22 live replicate zooplankton samples were obtained. Abundance and richness were higher than at ]]>
-3, were non-compliant with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. Approximately 12% of the species identified in the ballast water were present in the waters nearest the port in 1995 and 11% were present in the entire bay in 2005. The protocol designed from this study can be used to aid the establishment of a ballast water management system in the Caribbean or used as a ]]>
La transferencia de lastre por el transporte marítimo internacional ha impactado negativamente el ambiente. Con el fin de diseñar un protocolo, los tanques de agua de lastre de siete barcos carga en el puerto jamaiquino fueron muestreados entre el 28 de enero del 2010 y el 17 de agosto del 2010. Contenedores provenían de cinco puertos, utilizan tres rutas principales, algunos de los cuales conllevan un intercambio de agua de lastre. Se obtuvieron 26 muestras de zooplankton ]]>
-3, no compatibles con el Reglamento D-2 estándar de la Convención Internacional para el control y manejo del agua de lastre y sedimentos de barcos. Aproximadamente el 12% de las especies identificadas en el ]]>
Palabras clave: agua de lastre, ]]>
The transfer of ballast water allows a vessel to regulate its weight depending on how much cargo is being transported, in order to set the trim, list and overall stability of the vessel. However, such transfer by the international shipping industry has negatively impacted the health of humans, the environment ]]>
Successful introduction and ]]>
Perna viridis in the Kingston Harbour, which was suspected to be introduced from discharged ballast water (Buddo et al., 2003).
The protocol to be outlined can be used to sample ballast water from cargo vessels throughout the Caribbean region. The types of access points, location and management, represent the range to be found on cargo ships that visit the region. Multiple teams can use this protocol to sample other tanks simultaneously.
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Materials and Methods
The Protocol: The protocol described below was conducted within a study that aimed to characterize the biotic components of ballast tanks that were to be discharged into a Jamaican port (Mitchell, 2012). It serves as a basic methodology that can be used when surveying other bulk cargo vessels at other Jamaican ]]>
Gaining access: Being able to gain access to the sample is paramount to any study and is one of the steps used to carry out this protocol. Several considerations were included in gaining access to a ballast water sample, which started with obtaining security clearance to the port of interest. Once obtained, the team requested and acquired permission to enter the port and board ]]>
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As advised by AQIS (1998), the designation of a at least one suitable tank (Ruiz & Smith, 2005) as well as the access point was carried out by the Ship Master. Although several starboard tanks were designated, port tanks were requested when the option was available as they were considered to be safer options for sampling as loading and off-loading occurs on the starboard side (Dodgshun & Handley, 1997). The sampling equipment and basic methodology for sampling ballast water from manholes, called Set up 1 ]]>
Fig. 1A) were developed from recommendations from MEPC (2005a). Set up 1 was comprised of a 6 m long reinforced hose with an inner diameter of five centimetres and a smooth inner surface. A foot check-valve was clamped to one end of the hose and a diaphragm pump clamped to the other end via a reducer. A second reinforced hose, 32cm long and 3 cm in outer diameter, with a smooth inner surface with 2.5cm in inner diameter, connected the pump to an inline flow meter. The outlet of the flow meter was directed to the opening of the cod-end (cylindrical ]]>
Sampling the ballast water: Set-up 2 (Fig. 1B) was used to collect samples via sounding pipes. It was designed from the equipment used to produce the original set-up (Set-up ]]>
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While the set-up of the equipment varied according to the type of access point available, (either a manhole or a sounding pipe), both arrangements had the diaphragm pump ultimately leading to the flow meter. The equipment that was used to sample from a manhole access point varied according to the position and number of hoses used, with the reinforced hose #1 forming the inlet, fitted with a foot check valve at the end. The reinforced hose #2 was positioned between the pump and the flow meter. Reinforced hose #1 was graduated at 0.25m intervals so that the depth to which the hose was ]]>
The manhole was the preferred access point, but it was not always available for sampling as the opening of manholes of Ballast tanks which are filled to capacity and are therefore pressurized, would not be safe (Sutton, Murphy, Martin & Hewitt, 1998). The sounding pipes were only sampled if the manhole was not available and the pressure within the tank allowed water to either overflow or remain at the top near the lid. There were ]]>
A 20L bucket was placed beneath the ]]>
m3 or 16m3 of ballast water. Miller et al. (2011) supports the statistical accuracy of using several trials of 7m3 each, when testing the level of compliance of ballast water to IMO viability standards once subjected to ballast water treatment systems. Separate cod-ends ]]>
-1) did not require the ]]>
Sample analysis: The samples were carried to the lab where processingwas initiated within 1 hour after collection. The labelling of each bottle was then completed with sample ]]>
Counts were done in two stages starting with the larger and faster plankton, which were counted at x 60 magnification. At a higher magnification, such plankton would swim out of the field of view and may easily be recounted. The second stage ]]>
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The preserved samples were analysed after the live sample analysis was completed. Total counts were done for each taxonomic group of zooplankton observed. Counts were not taken for empty exoskeletons and damaged organisms, thus excluding plankton that were unlikely to be alive within the ballast tank prior to sampling or preservation. Whole sample counts were done for 93% of the samples. The remaining 7% were two replicates from separate samples that were too dense and so sub samples were enumerated (1/8 and ]]>
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A reference collection of isolated specimens was created with each new specimen in small glass jars with glycerol and 10% formalin. The bottles were labelled with the specimen-code created, a short description, date, source details and collector’s initials. Each specimen was either documented by notes, drawing, and photographs or by a combination. The following printed and web-source identification keys were used: Rammner (1939), Klie (1944a), Klie (1944b), Farran (1951), Davis (1955), Lovegrove (1956), Forneris ]]>
Salinity readings were taken to determine if ballast water exchange (BWE) was conducted, as outlined in ]]>
Results ]]>
The protocol is represented as a cyclic flow chart (Fig. 2) which facilitates easy communication. The first step consists of making initial contact with the vessel as it prepares to dock to the recording of the data obtained, which is the final stage to be considered for that particular vessel. ]]>
Abundance and richness of the samples were higher than observed in ballast water from previous studies conducted at temperate ports. The total organisms counted in this study was 13 445 individuals and the density obtained was 448.167individuals m-3. Therefore, the observed abundance is greater ]]>
Table 1). Fifteen phyla were identified consisting of nineteen taxonomic groups. The three most species-rich adult groups were Copepoda, then Rotifera, then Cladocera. Tintinnida was the only group that was more abundant than the group Copepoda when both adults and juveniles counts were combined. Two of the live sample replicates, containing 31.67 viable individuals m-3 and 16.75 viable individuals m-3, were non-compliant with the Standard Regulation D-2 of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. Approximately 12% of the species identified in the ballast water were present at the station nearest the port in 1995 and 11% were present in the entire bay in 2005. ]]>
Salinity readings fell within the expected range of the general salinity regime of the source point of the water. For instance, ballast water from tanks that were filled from within a river (not near the mouth) had a salinity that was also between 0-5 ppt. However, two samples did not have salinity readings that coincided with their source point. One sample had a reading of 9ppt with a source point salinity regime of 36-40 ppt and a source port salinity regime of 18
-35ppt. The other sample had a reading of 36ppt with a source point and port salinity regime of 0-5ppt.
Discussion
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The discharge of ballast water containing viable organisms is considered the ultimate step in the transfer of species from ballast water operations. All mitigation strategies are therefore aimed at managing such an outcome, from reducing the likelihood of taking up threat species, the removal of such species either by exchange or by applying treatments aimed at reducing viability within the tank as well as reducing the likelihood of viable species. Therefore, any ballast water study should not be conducted without accessing the viability levels of the tanks sampled.
Obtaining permission from the shipping agencies involved was the most critical step as providing access to ballast water was voluntary due to the current absence of legislation about ballast water management and regulation in Jamaica. However, with or without legislation, once access to the port is obtained permission must still be sought from the Ship Master to sample any ballast tank and its contents (Dodgshun & Handley, 1997). ]]>
The urgent need for protocols is indicated by the findings of this study, in that total number of organisms counted from Ballast tanks was 10 times higher than that of Drake & Lodge (2007b) who counted a total of 1 349 individuals. Densities were twice those previously reported by David et al. (2007) ]]>
-3. This may be due to the higher abundance and diversity of organisms within the tropics. Salinity variations in the ballast tanks also pointed to varied practices carried out by the vessel. Salinity is critical as it can confirm the carrying out of exchanges, especially where source ports are of very different salinities. All these findings point to the critical need for ballast water assessments to be conducted in the Caribbean and other tropical areas. ]]>
Acknowledgments
The research was funded by a grant from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica to the University of the West Indies. We are grateful to the entire staff of the Discovery Bay Marine Lab and Field Station who played an important role in ensuring ]]>
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1. Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica, W. I.; achsah.mitchell@gmail.com
2. Marine Alien Invasive Species Lab, DMBL, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica, W. I.
3. Centre for Marine Science, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica, W. I.
Received 10-VIII-2013 Corrected 19-II-2014 Accepted 24-III-2014