Ballast Water Regulations Completed

From July 15, 1993 (update #17)

On April 8, the U.S Coast Guard published final rules in The Federal Register to require ballast water management practices for vessels entering the Great Lakes after operating on waters beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone (the 200-mile limit for territorial waters). These rules are intended to protect the Great Lakes from the introduction of exotic species by requiring ballast water exchange in the open ocean or retaining ballast water on board. The rules require exchanged water to have a salinity of 30 parts per thousand and records of where the exchange took place. Violators of the regulations are subject to civil penalties of up to $25,000. The rules are similar to previous Canadian-U.S. voluntary guidelines and those of the International Maritime Organization.

ID: 19930715-7.

The Zebra Mussel Update was a 4- to 8-page quarterly national newsletter published by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute from May 1990 through May 1997. The ZMU documented the spread of the zebra mussel -- an exotic nuisance mussel -- through North America's freshwater environments, especially the Great Lakes, and on efforts to control it.