Mussels Shuts Down Nuclear Plant

Lake Ontario's Zebra and Quagga mussels appear to be behind the surge of seaweed that has shut down the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant three times in the past two months, scientists said. The FitzPatrick plant, on the lakeshore in Scriba, was shut down Sept. 12, Oct. 14 and Oct. 28 when seaweed clogged filters, reducing the amount of water available to cool the reactor. The shutdown costs the plant between $1.5 million and $2 million a day in lost revenue, according to federal figures.

The seaweed, called Cladophora, is a "filamentous algae," that grows in fine strands and isn’t edible by the zebra and Quagga mussels that have so successfully made Lake Ontario home. The mussels eat all sorts of free-floating algae - that's how they've managed to make Lake Ontario, Onondaga Lake and other bodies of water in Central New York so much clearer. Lake waters cleared of algae by the mussels allow more sunshine to penetrate deeper, encouraging Cladophora to spread to more of the lake bottom. Then, as winds blows, choppy waters scrub Cladophora from the lake bottom. The fine strands piled up so densely, he said, water couldn't pass through. In two of the three incidents, operators had to scram the plant - that is, drive control rods into the reactor to snuff the nuclear reaction as quickly as possible. That procedure is usually associated with emergencies and it's one the Nuclear Regulatory Commission watches closely.

For the full story, click here.

Ballast Water Management Demonstration Program grants competition now open

The 2008 Ballast Water Management Demonstration Program grants competitions were announced in the Federal Register on December 27, 2007, and can be found here.

As in recent years, there are two competitions: one for individual projects on ballast water-related technologies and practices, and one on establishment of a ballast water research, development, test and evaluation (RDTE) facility.

Both full Federal Funding Opportunity announcements are posted on Grants.gov. They can be found by selecting the link to "Find Grant Opportunities" on the Grants.gov home page, then selecting "Basic Search" and searching on these Federal Funding Opportunity numbers:

OAR-SG-2008-2001206 (for the technologies and practices competition)
OAR-SG-2008-2001279 (for the RDTE facility competition)

For the technologies and practices competition, the deadline for letters of intent (mandatory to be eligible to submit a full proposal) is February 21, 2008 and the deadline for full proposals is April 3, 2008.

For the RDTE facility competition, the deadline for preproposals (mandatory to be eligible to submit a full proposal) is February 21, 2008 and the deadline for full proposals is April 24, 2008.

National Invasive Species Management Plan open for public comment

The Department of the Interior seeks comments on the 2008-2012 National Invasive Species Management Plan. Comments should be submitted by February 11, 2008. The document is posted on the USDA's Invasive Species Information page.

First commercial order for Alfa Laval's PureBallast

The Alfa Laval PureBallast system combines a chemical-free technology with a compact design that fits easily into the engine room. The system meets the requirements defined by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialised agency of the United Nations. The Alfa Laval PureBallast equipment will be installed aboard four new ships owned by German ship owner E.R Schiffahrt. These new ships, scheduled for completion in 2008, will be one of the first to comply with the pending IMO regulations. For the full article, click here.

Expert advice sought on European green crab and Chinese mitten crab

The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada is asking for assistance in evaluating the dispersal vectors and impacts of the European green crab, Carcinus maenas, and the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada is conducting assessments of the risks posed by these two crab species in Canadian waters. Part of the invasive species risk assessment process that has been adopted by DFO's Centre of Expertise in Aquatic Risk Assessment is an expert opinion survey to identify important vectors and impacts of the species, worldwide. They would appreciate your opinions on one or both of these two crab species, by taking the survey at this link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=d5xZnKNPpf_2fn1nvnlY7OZQ_3d_3d

Completing the survey should take just a few minutes of your time. DFO has recently completed biological synopses (extensive literature reviews) on green crab and mitten crab and you can access the citations and URLs for these by clicking on the survey. They will be summarizing the results of the survey in early January, and the risk assessments will be reviewed at a meeting to be held in Montreal in February.

You can reply directly to Andrea Locke at LockeA@DFO-MPO.gc.ca

Hawaii Adopts Ballast Water Regulations

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has adopted administrative rules to manage ballast water discharge from vessels operating in Hawai'i waters, the DLNR said.

The new administrative rules require qualifying vessels to: 1) have a ballast water management plan specifically for that vessel, 2) conduct a mid-ocean ballast water exchange or retain all ballast water on board, and 3) file a ballast water reporting form with the DLNR no later than 24 hours prior to arrival. The data obtained from the ballast water reporting forms submitted by the qualifying vessels will enable the State to make better assessments of the potential risk that an incoming vessel might contain alien species in its ballast water holds. DLNR will be monitoring ballast water reports for submission and compliance.

For more information about the new ballast water rules go to www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar or contact Jason Leonard at the Division of Aquatic Resources at 587-0113 or via e-mail at Jason.C.Leonard@hawaii.gov.

Great Ships Initiative 2008 Season

The Great Ships Initiative -- a collaborative effort to end ship-mediated invasive species introductions in the Great Lakes, managed by the Northeast-Midwest Institute -- opened its solicitation for applicants for ballast treatment testing in 2008. Any developer of a promising ballast treatment system is invited to apply for GSI research services, some or all of which may be provided by the GSI free of charge. The research services range from bench-scale testing to full-scale testing in a shore-based facility and on board ships. Contact Allegra Cangelosi at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.