Barge Battles Pesky Invaders

Cargo ships discharge thousands of gallons of ballast water containing millions of non-native species in global ports. A barge in Baltimore harbor brings business and environmentalists together to fight this potential environmental disaster.

Published

11 months ago

Categories

Science, Wildlife

Topics

Wildlife

Places

United States of America, Maryland, Baltimore

Companies

Municipal Corporation Visakhapatnam

Tags

marine biology

Transcript

Script[Notes:Location: Baltimore Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland][Notes:Date: May 7, 2012][Notes:SOURCE: AP Television][Notes:VO: Various of ships at the Port of Baltimore][VOICE-OVER]TRACK#1 THOUSANDS OF CARGO AND CRUISE SHIPS DOCK AT PORTS AROUND THE WORLD EACH DAY. WITHIN THESE SHIPS LIES THE POTENTIAL FOR CATASTROPHIC ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION - NOT FROM CONTAINERS OR PASSENGERS, BUT FROM BALLAST WATER IN A SHIP'S HULL.AT ONE PORT, A SHIP SUCKS UP MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER TO PROVIDE STABILITY UNDERWAY.AT ANOTHER PORT, THE WATER IS DISCHARGED, POTENTIALLY RELEASING MILLIONS OF INVASIVE ORGANISMS AND A BILLION DOLLAR NIGHTMARE.[SOT/](Mario Tamburri/Director - Maritime Environmental Resource Center)Invasive species can change habitats, they colonize, they can cause crashes of fisheries, and so there's enormous economic and ecological costs to invasive species. And the biggest vector, the biggest transporter of invasive species in an aquatic environment are ships." [Notes:SOURCE: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources][Notes:VO: Zebra mussels][Notes:COURTESY: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources][VOICE-OVER]TRACK#2IN THE GREAT LAKES, INVASIVE ZEBRA MUSSELS PROBABLY CAME FROM EUROPE IN A BALLAST WATER TANK.[Notes:SOURCE: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center][Notes:VO: Still photographic images of mitten crabs][Notes:COURTESY: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center]AT THE MOUTH OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY, THE INVASIVE MITTEN CRAB MOST LIKELY ARRIVED IN THE BALLAST WATER OF AN ASIAN CARGO SHIP.[Notes:LOCATION: Baltimore Harbor][Notes:SOURCE: AP TELEVISION][Notes:DATE: May 7, 2012]BUT NOW, THE FREE RIDE FOR THESE AND SIMILAR AQUATIC SPECIES IS ABOUT TO END.DOCKED IN THE PORT OF BALTIMORE IS A BARGE WITH TWO IDENTICAL OLYMPIC SIZE SWIMMING POOL TANKS SITTING SIDE BY SIDE.[SOT/](Mario Tamburri/Director - Maritime Environmental Resource Center:)("It's large, it's three hundred cubic meters, but for a real ship, it would probably be small. Maybe a third or a tenth of the size of a real ballast tank.")[VOICE-OVER]TRACK#3FUNDED BY A GROUP OF ENVIRONMENTALLY ACTIVE AGENCIES, INCLUDING THE U.S. MARITIME AND MARYLAND PORT ADMINISTRATIONS, THE BARGE IS A UNIQUE TEST FACILITY.[SOT/](Mario Tamburri/Director - Maritime Environmental Resource Center:)("And, the way we have it set up now is the red pump and the red pipes are control water, untreated, and they go straight to the control tank. The blue pump and the blue pump lines go through the treatment system first, which is behind me here. Water gets treated and goes in to the tank right behind you, the treated tank." [Notes:LOCATION: Baltimore Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland][Notes:SOURCE: AP TELEVISION][Notes:DATE: May 7, 2012][Notes:VO: On board laboratory interiors][VOICE-OVER]TRACK#3SOME ANALYSIS OF SPECIES SURVIVAL IS DONE ON THE BARGE, WHILE OTHER SAMPLES GO TO UNIVERSITY LABS FOR FURTHER STUDY.[SOT/](Darrick Sparks, Technician - Maritime Environmental Resource Center)("They remove the larger organisms first and then they will treat the smaller organisms. The idea is that they are more susceptible to whatever the treatment is. This would have not gone through the filter. It would have stopped that.")[VOICE-OVER]TRACK#4WHAT THE COAST GUARD AND MARINE SYSTEMS ENGINEERS WANT TO KNOW IS WHICH SYSTEMS WORK, AND WHICH DO NOT.[Notes:FULL SCREEN GRAPHIC LISTING TREATMENTS]TESTS ON THREE TREATMENTS HAVE PROVED PROMISING. A METHOD FOR SUFFOCATING ORGANISMS IN BALLAST WATER.THE USE OF A CHEMICAL COCKTAIL TO KILL FOREIGN ORGANISMS.AND, A UV RADIATION SYSTEM THAT ALSO KILLS INVASIVE SPECIES.WITHIN THE DECADE, COMMERCIAL SHIPS MUST INSTALL COAST GUARD APPROVED TREATMENT SYSTEMS IN ORDER TO DO BUSINESS WITH U.S. PORTS.[SOT/](richard Everett/United States Coast Guard - Environmental Protection Specialist)("The United States Coast Guard conducts inspections and examinations of vessels on a routine basis. Vessels coming in to our ports are subject to scheduled exams as well as unscheduled exams.")[Notes:VO: CARGO CONTAINERS LOADED ON BOARD SHIP][VOICE-OVER]TRACK#5WHILE GROWTH IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY ENCOURAGES INCREASED OCEAN TRAFFIC, BIO SECURITY MEASURES MAY SLOW DOWN TRANSFERS OF INVASIVE SPECIES.TOM RITCHIE, ASSOCIATED PRESS.(****END****)