Study on biological survey protocols and target species selection (ALIENS 2) (2012)

Background

Transport and introductions of alien species has been perceived as one of the primary threats to the coastal ecosystems worldwide. In the Baltic Sea Action Plan the Contracting States have agreed to ratify the 2004 International Convention for Control and Management of Ship’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) no later than 2013 and it will be instrumental in reducing the risk of transfer of alien species to the Baltic Sea when it enters into force.

According to BWM Convention ships will be required to implement the ballast water management unless an exemption has been granted following a risk assessment. The Road Map towards harmonized implementation and ratification of the BWM Convention, adopted as part of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, requires arriving at a unified Baltic Sea exemption system.

The 2010 HELCOM Moscow Ministerial Meeting adopted the Guidance to distinguish between unacceptable high risk scenarios and acceptable low risk scenarios – a risk of spreading of alien species by ships on intra-Baltic voyages. The Guidance has been tested within the HELCOM project ALIENS 1 -Pilot risk assessments of alien species transfer on intra-Baltic ship voyages. However, availability of data on alien species and environmental conditions in ports, a pre-requisite for carrying out reliable risk assessments, is largely absent. Data availability and selection of target species for the purpose of the risk assessments have been identified as next most urgent topics to be dealt with on a regional basis.

Aims

In order to create reliable port profiles of alien species, it is essential that the same survey protocols with the same level of detail are followed in each port throughout the Baltic. Also, for equality in the decision making, the same risk assessment and decision making protocols should be used throughout the area. Therefore, the project aims to propose a regionally harmonized method for granting exemptions from ballast water treatment (BWM Convention A-4) for marine traffic in the Baltic Sea. This will be accomplished through three work packages:

WP 1. The project will identify target species for the risk assessments relevant for intra-Baltic ship voyages.

WP 2. The project will propose protocols on biological surveys in ports of the Baltic Sea to be commonly applied when surveying the ports for the purposes of gathering the information on alien species, taking into account the need for and benefits of having a consistent approach with the North Sea region.

WP 3. The project will propose how to structure the collected data to support the decision-making on exemptions (according to regulation A-4 of the BWMC). This will include a structure for sharing of information as well as developing decision support tools.

Project execution

The project is executed by a team consisting of Project Researcher Ms. Riikka Puntila (HELCOM Secretariat), Project Adviser Ms. Maiju Lehtiniemi (SYKE), Ms. Karin Heyer (BSH) and Ms. Kerstin Stelzer (Brockman Consult).

The project implementation is facilitated by HELCOM Professional Secretary Mr. Hermanni Backer, the Project Core Group as well as HELCOM Correspondence Group on the implementation of the Ballast Water Road Map.

The project started in December 2011 and the main working phase is to be finished by the meeting of the HELCOM Maritime Group 6 – 8 November 2012 where the draft outcomes of the project are to be presented. The project will finalize reports and close by the end of 2012.

Final report: Non-native species port survey protocols, target species selection and risk assessment tools for the Baltic Sea.

Contacts

Ms. Riikka Puntila
Project Researcher (HELCOM ALIENS 2)
HELCOM Secretariat
Phone: +358 46 8509211
Email: riikka.puntila@helcom.fi

Ms. Karin Heyer
Consultant
Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH)
Phone: +49 40 865887
Email: heyerkarin@t-online.de