Topic: Invasives
SCI-208: Invasive Plant Biology
Convener: Ralph Garono (rgarono@earthdesign.com)
SCI-012: Ballast Water - Research and Management in Coastal Waters.
Conveners: Andrea Copping (andrea.copping@pnl.gov) and Russell Herwig (herwig@u.washington.edu)
Ballast water discharged into coastal and estuarine waters represents a significant threat to native species and habitats through the introduction of non-native planktonic organisms. Current US and international regulations require the exchange of ballast water at sea to reduce the risk of introducing invasive species from other coastal areas. While ballast water exchange may significantly reduce the introduction of invasive species, new technologies that treat ballast water on board ship show great promise for inactivating or killing almost all planktonic plants, animals and microorganisms. Ballast water management programs in the US and abroad will require onboard treatment in the near future. The science of detection, enumeration, and viability analysis of ballast water organisms is evolving to assist with land-based verification of the efficacy of ballast water treatments, and practical shipboard equipment trials. This session will feature presentations addressing the innovative scientific methods for ballast water organism assessment, and will bring scientists, managers and regulators together in a roundtable format.
SCI-217: Ecology of Marine Invasives.
Convener: Roberto Llanso (rllanso@versar.com)
SCI-218: Invasive Fish Biology.
Convener: Valance Brenneis (valbrenneis@gmail.com)
