The federal government is hoping to slow the spread of aquatic invasive species through a recently launched innovative ballast water management program.
Announced Feb. 22 by transport minister Omar Alghabra, the program will invest $12.5 million towards research, expertise, and solutions that would help deter the transport of invasive species in ballasts. Currently, cooler water temperatures and heavy sedimentation create a challenge for ballast water systems.
Most aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes were transported by ballasts from Eurasia. To combat this, the government introduced regulations in 2006 to require all vessels to exchange their ballast with saltwater at least 200 nautical miles from shore. No new aquatic invasive species have been introduced to the Great Lakes since then.
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