New regulations introduced this week that will force salt water ships to flush ballast water at sea before entering the Great Lakes will protect the lakes from further invasive species.
Hugh MacIsaac is the Director of the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network and a Professor at the University of Windsor.
He says the flushing of the ballast tanks will virtually kill any foreign species that could live in the Great Lakes and threaten local aquatic life.
He says given the magnetite of the threat on a global basis this was an essential move for the protection of the Lakes.
MacIsaac says already some of the invaders that already exist in the Lake Huron and Georgian Bay are causing subtle but long lasting effects to the ecosystems.
He says the spiny water flea consumes very minute sized plankton and while that has little or no impact on larger fish like lake trout or white fish, it has a profound impact on their young.
MacIsaac says with the water flea eliminating that plankton, the smaller fish have nothing to feed on and eventually will starve.
He says that means if you don’t have young fish, then you don’t have big fish.
MacIsaac says while the colder waters of Georgian Bay and Northern Lake Huron may slow the advance of Zebra Mussels their smaller cousin, the Quagga Mussel thrives in cold deep water.
He says that is a potential threat to these waters over the next little while.
MacIsaac says in the Great Lakes Water system there are some 185 different invasive species that have been introduced to the lakes over the years.
