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Ontario Calls on Feds to Protect Great Lakes From Invasive Species

Posted on: Thursday, 17 August 2006, 15:00 CDT

TORONTO (CP) - Ontario is calling on the federal government to toughen up regulations to keep invasive species like zebra mussels and fishhook water fleas out of the Great Lakes.

The province's natural resources minister says draft regulations would have forced all ships to flush out their ballast tanks with salt water at least 320 kilometres off Canada's shores.

Ontario supported the move, which would kill foreign species before they enter the Great Lakes.

But David Ramsay said the province was surprised that the regulations enacted in June did not include ships filled with cargo - which are considered not to be carrying ballast water.

Researchers say those ships are known to contain leftover water which harbour live organisms.

Ramsay said there are already more than 180 foreign species in the Great Lakes, with more than 75 per cent of them introduced since 1970 coming from ballast water on foreign ships.

Ramsay said he has requested a meeting with Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, to ask that the requirement be included.

Source: Canadian Press

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