Tiny Stowaways: Analyzing the Economic Benefits of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Permit Regulating Ballast Water Discharges

Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed permitting ballast water discharges--a benefit of which would be to reduce the economic damages associated with the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species. Research on ship-borne aquatic invasive species has been conducted in earnest for decades, but determining the economic damages they cause remains troublesome. Furthermore, with the exception of harmful algal blooms, the economic consequences of microscopic invaders have not been studied, despite their potentially great negative effects. In this paper, we show how to estimate the economic benefits of preventing the introduction and spread of harmful bacteria, microalgae, and viruses delivered in U.S. waters. Our calculations of net social welfare show the damages from a localized incident, cholera-causing bacteria found in shellfish in the Gulf of Mexico, to be approximately $706,000 (2006$). On a larger scale, harmful algal species have the potential to be transported in ships' ballast tanks, and their effects in the United States have been to reduce commercial fisheries landings and impair water quality. We examine the economic repercussions of one bloom-forming species. Finally, we consider the possible translocation within the Great Lakes of a virus that has the potential to harm commercial and recreational fisheries. These calculations illustrate an approach to quantifying the benefits of preventing invasive aquatic microorganisms from controls on ballast water discharges.

Ballast water regulations and the move toward concentration‐based numeric discharge limits

“…When organisms in ballast tanks are transported between waterbodies and discharged, they have the potential to establish new populations of species in waterbodies to which they are not native (Ruiz et al 2000b, Bolch and de Salas 2007, Drake and Lodge 2007, Kipp et al 2010. The introduction of nonnative aquatic nuisance species (ANS) via ballast water discharge can cause significant economic and ecological damage (Lovell and Drake 2009).…”

Disinfection of Ballast Water with Iron Activated Persulfate

“…The transport of ballast water is important for the maintenance of stability of ships as they travel at sea. However, the discharge of large volumes of water during ballast water exchange poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems worldwide through the introduction of nonindigenous aquatic species, − threatens human health through the potential transmission of pathogenic organisms, and results in significant negative economic impacts due to these threats . A notorious example of negative impacts arising from ballast water discharge is the introduction of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha in North America.…”

“…However, the discharge of large volumes of water during ballast water exchange poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems worldwide through the introduction of nonindigenous aquatic species, 1−3 threatens human health through the potential transmission of pathogenic organisms, 4 and results in significant negative economic impacts due to these threats. 5 A notorious example of negative impacts arising from ballast water discharge is the introduction of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha in North America. Since its discovery in Lake St. Clair (Michigan, U.S., and Ontario, Canada) in 1988, it has become established in >50% of waterways in the U.S., with costs on the order of billions of dollars for control.…”

Modeling invasion risk for coastal marine species utilizing environmental and transport vector data

“…Research and management efforts have targeted species when they are exported, in transit, entering a new environment, after introduction, and once established. In many cases, it is difficult to eradicate a species once established, though there are examples of successful efforts (e.g., see Williams & Grosholz, 2008), and prevention and early detection can be the most viable management strategies (Lovell & Drake, 2009).…”