Detailed project information for Study Plan Number 01076

Branch :	Fish Health Branch
Study Plan Number :	01076
Study Title :	New methods for control of zebra mussels and Asian clams: effect of carbon dioxide and gas supersaturation on stress and survivorship
Starting Date :	01/01/1998
Completion Date :	08/01/2002
Principal Investigator(s) :	Watten, Barnaby; Blazer, Vicki; Villella, Rita & Densmore, Christine
Primary PI :	Watten, Barnaby
Telephone Number :	(304) 724-4434
Email Address :	vicki_blazer@usgs.gov
SIS Number :	5002119
Primary Program Element :	Invasive Species
Second Program Element :	Fish and Aquatic Habitats
Status :	Active
Abstract :	BACKGROUND The introduction of nonindigenous (exotic) species has had dramatic negative effects on marine, estuarine, and freshwater ecosystems in the United States and abroad (Elton, 1958; Mooney and Drake, 1986; Chesapeake Bay Commission, 1995). Effects include alteration of the structure and dynamics of the ecosystem involved, including extirpation of native species (OTA, 1993). The release of ballast water from ships is a major transport mechanism for nonindigenous aquatic organisms (Carlton, 1985) as recognized by the U.S. National Invasive Species Control Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-332). Approximately 40,000 major cargo ships operating world wide (Stewart, 1991) pump ballast water on board to ensure stability and balance. Large vessels can carry in excess of 200,000 m3 of ballast which is released in varying amounts at or when approaching cargo loading ports. In 1991, U.S. waters alone received approximately 57,000,000 metric tons of ballast water from foreign ports (Carlton et al. 1994). Ship surveys have demonstrated that ballast water is in general a non-selective transfer mechanism – many taxa representing planktonic and nectonic organisms capable of passing through coarse ballast water intake screens are common. These include bacteria, larval fish and bloom forming dinoflagellates (Chu et al., 1997; Carton and Geller, 1993; Gail and Halsmann, 1997). The diversity of biota in ballast water is reflected in the examples of shipborne introductions of exotic species in the United States. Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) introductions are of particular concern given their ability to (1) rapidly cover and change the physical structure of hard submerged substrates; (2) reduce open phytoplankton biomass and hence change desirable pelagic food webs; and (3) act as major macrofouling species of water intake structures used in municiple, agricultural, industrial, and power station water systems (Morton, 1987; Effler, 1994; O’Neill and MacNeill, 1991; Strayer, 1991; MacIsaac et al., 1991). Regarding 3, the flow of water through the intakes carries with it a continuous source of food and oxygen for the organisms and carries away their wastes while the structures themselves protect the mussels from predation and environmental conditions such as wave activity and scouring by ice. Thus, the presence of the mussels and clams not only leads to reduced water pumping capacity but also can act as a seed source for downstream reaches of the water course involved. Control typically involves manual scraping and use of either thermal treatment or biocides (O’Neill, 1996). The biocides used include chlorine, quaternary and polyquatenary ammonium compounds or aromatic hydrocarbons (Waller et al., 1996). Asian clams are found in 36 of the contiguous states of the United States as well as in Hawaii. Control of this species has been estimated in 1986 to cost the U.S. power industry over one billion dollars per year. The zebra mussel, introduced into the U.S. in 1986, has spread rapidly throughout the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and waterways associated with the Mississippi River. It is expected that the mussels will, within 20-25 years, infest most areas south of Central Canada and north of the Florida Panhandle from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast. As the zebra mussel advances, the prognosis for native freshwater bivalve populations is bleak, especially for those populations of species considered threatened and endangered – zebra mussel densities of up to 400,000/m2 have been reported and are thought to be the primary cause of the decline in unionids in the Great Lakes (MacIsaac et al., 1991). A projected cost of two billion dollars has been proposed for zebra mussel control over the decade of the 1990's in the Great Lakes with this figure rising exponentially for North America as the mussels continue to expand their range. Expansion is also expected to dramatically increase the molluscicide load carried by our continental river systems. This is already a concern in the Mississippi River drainage and will no doubt lead to stricter future regulation of molluscicide usage at the local, state, and federal levels. Hence, there is a need for the development of alternative, environmentally neutral technologies to control exotic species already imported as well as to eliminate future ballast introductions of exotic species. OBJECTIVE Develop, refine, and demonstrate a new method for control of zebra mussels, Asian clams and if feasible other exotics common in ballast water. The method will be economical, environmentally safe and effective in both water conduit and ballast tank applications. HYPOTHESES TO BE TESTED 1. Supersaturation of water with carbon dioxide, air, power plant (coal or oil fired) exhaust gas or a combination of these gases will cause mortality of target nonindigenous species. 2. Control method efficiency is dependent on gas mixture, dissolved gas concentrations, treatment duration, target species and life stage.
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