SOLUTIONS SOUGHT FOR "CANETOADS" OF THE SEA
The Bureau of Resource Sciences in the Federal Department of Primary
Industries and Energy estimate that in 1991, 121 million tonnes of ballast
water was discharged in Australian ports, as a result of more than 4,700
international ship visits. To date, at least 20 species of exotic organisms
have been introduced to Australian waters, and three of these species,
a toxic dinoflagellate, an alga and the Northern Pacific Seastar could
cost $200 million per year to Australia's southern fisheries.
The CRC Research Centre, together with the Ports Corporation of Queensland,
are funding Griffith University's highest achieving 1995 MEngSc graduate
in the Water Care program, Mr Darren Oemcke (left), to identify
ways of disinfecting ships' ballast waters. With increased shipping from
warm-water countries in South East Asia to ports within the tropics, comes
a greater risk that introduced marine species - the canetoads of the ocean
- may threaten the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, and therefore its
fisheries, mariculture and tourism industries.
Mr Oemcke's Master's thesis in the School of Environmental Engineering
at Griffith University examined the potential of ozonation to disinfect
ballast water. Ozone, which is a common European drinking water and swimming
pool disinfectant, was pumped into artificial seawater, killing bacteria.
The Ports Corporation of Queensland have pledged $92,000 to Mr Oemcke's
Ph.D research which he will conduct at the Civil and Systems Engineering
Department of JCU. He will further test the efficacy of ultraviolet light,
membrane filtration, and ozone for the destruction of larvae, spore, cysts
and juveniles of species likely to be transported in ballast water. Current
treatment strategies, such as exchanging ballast water at sea may be ineffective
and too dangerous to attempt during cyclones.
Mr Oemcke, 27, achieved high distinctions for seven of his eight Masters
subjects and for his thesis itself. Other collaborators in the project
are the Water Care Unit of Griffith's School of Environmental Engineering,
the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Australian Quarantine
and Inspection Service, the CSIRO Centre for Research into Introduced
Marine Pest in Hobart, the University of Tasmania and the Maritime Studies
Program at Williams College, Mystic, Connecticut.
page top | contents
| next page
|
