Michigan is starting a program that would help reduce the introduction and spread of foreign aquatic species in the Great Lakes, Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus said.
But this isn’t a new problem.
Matt Resch, press secretary for Posthumus, said these foreign species have been “wreaking environmental havoc” on the Great Lakes and the native species that reside there.
“It throws everything out of whack,” Resch said. “Natives are not used to having these predators attack them.
“Our first-step effort is to make sure ships who travel the sea and enter the Great Lakes comply with management practices,” he said.
The problem results when ocean-going vessels enter the Great Lakes and discharge ballast water, or sea water that ships take in to balance, and in the process foreign species get into the mix.
When the ships enter the Great Lakes, the ballast water is emptied along with the foreign species that kill native species and mess with the food chain, Resch said.
Some common foreign species include the zebra mussel and the sea lamprey.
Now, any owner or operator that is not on the list of vessels that comply, or anyone in Michigan who has contracts for the transportation of cargo with a vessel operator that is not on the list, will not be eligible for new grants, loans or awards given by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality after March 1, he said.
Before they did not have to be on the list.
The legislation was signed by Posthumus in August, and puts the DEQ in charge of enforcing the program’s new rules.
DEQ spokesman Ken Silfven said it has sent a form to all owners and operators of vessels that asks them to certify that they are meeting the new management practices.
But these foreign species not only have impact on the environment, but they affect the state’s economy, too.
When these species attach themselves to water intake pipes in the Great Lakes they can clog the pipes causing the state millions of dollars to fix.
“These critters are bad news,” Silfven said. “It’s tough to get a handle on this problem because there are so many introductions.
“I’m not sure we can stop it, but we can try to slow the introductions.”
These species also have a social impact, said Michael Klepinger, a specialist with Michigan Sea Grant, a research education partnership between University of Michigan and MSU.
When people swim in the Great Lakes they usually wear water moccasins to prevent the zebra mussels from scraping the bottoms of their feet, Klepinger said.
“The state felt it had to take action because the federal government hasn’t,” he said. “Our hope is that this bill will inspire action at the federal level.”
