Given its status as one of the world's busiest seaways, it's no surprise that the St. Lawrence River is also a hotspot for AIS migration into the Great Lakes. But to what extent? That's the question research by Abisola Adebayo is trying to answer.Armed with evidence that select AIS can survive preventative measures like mid-ocean ballast transfers and salt water flushing to successfully colonize our waters, Remi and her team sampled 11 freshwater and 5 estuarine ports along the seaway and identified invaders using taxonomic and DNA methods.
"We've found 182 AIS in the Great Lakes and ship ballast water is the leading vector," explains Ms. Adebayo. However, that estimate is conservative since many in the field believe that as much as 70% of the AIS in Great Lakes waters enter via untreated or improperly treated ballast water.
Once the sampling was completed Remi was able to compare invasive species form the seaway with those present in the Great Lakes. The results of her study could have lasting implications on how domestic ballast water concerns are addressed when it comes to ships using the St. Lawrence Seaway as a gateway to our Great Lakes.
