Treating ballast waters to limit Mnemiopsis leidyi access to new habitats

Abstract

Discharging untreated ballast waters supports the spread of invasive species. One of the most successful ballast-water mediated biological invasions was a transatlantic transport of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi to many Eurasian seas, where it has significantly impacted local ecosystems. To prevent its spread to new areas, we studied the survival of different M. leidyi life stages exposed to several eradication techniques. We looked closely into the technical applicability of an onboard thermal treatment by calculating its duration and the required energy to perform it. The duration was considered as a sum of the time to heat ballast tanks by using the engine’s waste heat for two types of ships and M. leidyi’s eradication. The calculated duration of the proposed treatment allowed us to estimate a minimum travel length undertaken by a specific type of ship to eliminate M. leidyi successfully. The travel length determines the appropriate technique and minimal requirements to eliminate M. leidyi successfully and, thus, can serve as a guideline for a management plan. In conclusion, the proposed onboard treatment would be efficient on smaller ships and minimum distances of 200–300 km depending on the season but not on the short routes where other treatment techniques, e.g. exposure to ultrasonic cavitation or microwave radiation, should be considered.