Introduction

Foreign Species in Ballast Water: Threat to Our Health, Economy, and Ecosystem

In 1991, the waters of Mobile, Alabama, were contaminated with a deadly bacteria. In 1988, residents of Monroe, Michigan, turned on their faucets to find that they had no water because mollusks had completely clogged up the water system. The cause was invasive species that quietly sneaked into this country in a ship’s ballast water. 

Experts believe that, every minute, 40,000 gallons of foreign ballast water contaminate U.S. waters – likely the single largest source of foreign species invading America’s ecosystem. While, on the surface, these species may seem harmless, they wreak havoc on local ecosystems. The natural balance and controls of an ecosystem are usually not equipped to deal with these invasive species. The result of a successful foreign species invasion in an ecosystem can be devastating to local economies and, because large volumes of dangerous bacteria and viruses have been found in ballast water, it also can be a serious threat to human health.

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