transportation research board Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species special report 291 Since its opening in 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway has provided a route into the Great Lakes not only for trade but also unfortunately for aquatic invasive species (AIS), which have had severe economic and environmental impacts on the region. Prevention measures have been introduced by the governments of Canada and the United States, but reports of newly discovered AIS continue, and only time will tell what impacts these species may have. Pressure special report 291 to solve the problem has even led to proposals that the seaway be closed. At the request of the Great Lakes Protection Fund, the National Research Council assembled a committee of experts to identify and explore options that would both enhance the potential for global trade in the Great Lakes region and eliminate further introductions of AIS from ships transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway. The report concludes that trade should continue on the St. Lawrence Seaway but with a more effective suite of prevention measures that evolves over time in response to lessons learned and new technologies. GREAT LAKES AlSO OF INTEREST Water Transportation and Port Operations Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2033, isbn 978-0-309-10460-9, 61 pages, 8.5 × 11, paperback, 2007, $45.00 Inland Waterways; Ports and Channels; and the Marine Environment Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1909, S isbn 0-309-09382-1, 107 pages, 8.5 × 11, paperback, 2005, $46.00 HIPPIN The Marine Transportation System and the Federal Role: Measuring Performance, Targeting Improvement TRB Special Report 279, isbn 0-309-09452-6, 180 pages, 6 × 9, paperback, 2004, $24.00 G , T Nonnative Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay RADE, National Research Council, National Academies Press, isbn 978-0-309-09052-0, 344 pages, 6 × 9, paperback, 2004, $54.00 Predicting Invasions of Nonindigenous Plants and Plant Pests A ND AQUATIC GREAT LAKES National Research Council, National Academies Press, isbn 978-0-309-08264-8, 198 pages, 6 × 9, hardback, 2002, $42.95 Stemming the Tide: Controlling Introductions of Nonindigenous Species by Ships’ Ballast Water SHIPPING, TRADE, National Research Council, National Academies Press, isbn 978-0-309-05537-6, 160 pages, 6 × 9, hardback, 1996, $42.95 I AND AQUATIC NVASIVE NVASIVE INVASIVE SPECIES S PECIES isbn 978-0-309-11313-7 transportation research board special report 291 GREAT LAKES SHIPPING, TRADE, AND AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES Committee on the St. Lawrence Seaway: Options to Eliminate Introduction of Nonindigenous Species into the Great Lakes, Phase 2 Transportation Research Board Water Science and Technology Board Transportation Research Board Washington, D.C. 2008 www.TRB.org Transportation Research Board Special Report 291 Subscriber Categories I planning, administration, and environment VIII freight transportation (multimodal) IX marine transportation Transportation Research Board publications are available by ordering individual publi- cations directly from the TRB Business Office, through the Internet at www.TRB.org or national-academies.org/trb, or by annual subscription through organizational or indi- vidual affiliation with TRB. Affiliates and library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts. For further information, contact the Transportation Research Board Business Office, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 (telephone 202-334-3213; fax 202- 334-2519; or e-mail [email protected]). Copyright 2008 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to the procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the Na- tional Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. This report was sponsored by the Great Lakes Protection Fund. Cover design by Beth Schlenoff, Beth Schlenoff Design. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on the St. Lawrence Seaway: Options to Eliminate Introduction of Nonindigenous Species into the Great Lakes, Phase 2. Great Lakes shipping, trade, and aquatic invasive species / Committee on the St. Lawrence Seaway: Options to Eliminate Introduction of Nonindigenous Species into the Great Lakes, Phase 2, Transportation Research Board, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Research Council of the National Academies. p. cm.—(Transportation Research Board special report ; 291) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Nonindigenous aquatic pests—Control—Great Lakes (North America) 2. Discharge of ballast water—Environmental aspects—Great Lakes (North America) 3. Animal introduction—Great Lakes (North America)—Prevention. 4. Ballast water—Purification—Great Lakes (North America) I. Title. TD427.A68N38 2008 363.7'80977—dc22 2008025878 ISBN 978-0-309-11313-7 The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the au- thority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meet- ing national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the re- sponsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of med- ical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the Na- tional Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Re- search Council. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leader- ship in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the compo- nent administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org Marine Board Martha R. Grabowski, LeMoyne College, Cazenovia, New York, Chair Malcolm MacKinnon III, MSCL, LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, Vice Chair Kenneth E. Arnold, K Arnold Consulting, Inc., Houston, Texas Michael S. Bruno, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey Charles R. Cushing, C. R. Cushing and Co., Inc., New York Larry L. Daggett, Waterway Simulation Technology, Inc., Vicksburg, Mississippi Robert A. Dalrymple, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland Paul S. Fischbeck, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Stephen E. Flynn, Council on Foreign Relations, New York Judith Hill Harris, Department of Transportation, Portland, Maine John R. Headland, Moffatt & Nichol Engineers, New York William E. Jenkins, SeaRiver Maritime, Inc., Houston, Texas Robert E. Johnston,