Publication Date

12-2008

Series Number

182

Publisher

Department of Fisheries

City

Perth, Western Australia

ISBN

1 921258 35 7

ISSN

1035 - 4549

Abstract

As an island continent, Australia is heavily dependent upon maritime transport with over 95% of its imports and exports transported by ship (Australian State of the Environment Committee, 2001). With about one third of Australia’s coastline, Western Australia ranks fourth of the six states and territory in the number of known non-indigenous marine species.

In this study fifteen ports in Western Australia were assessed on the potential for non-indigenous marine species to become introduced through ballast water and biofouling. The overall vesselmediated incursion risk to Western Australian ports was calculated by summing the relative incursion threat posed by visits to each port (using 2006 port data). The relative threat value of these visits was determined by a set of uniformly applied criteria. These comprised:

• The number of vessels visiting the port;

• Their port of origin (domestic or international);

• The volume and source of ballast water discharged in each port;

• The dead weight tonnage (DWT – as a proxy for hull fouling potential); and

• The type of vessels visiting each port.

Using the criteria outlined above, the three ports at most risk of non-indigenous marine species introductions are:

• Dampier;

• Fremantle; and

• Port Hedland.

The rankings of each port in this study are consistent with results from the National Introduced Marine Pest Coordination Group (NIMPCG, 2006) study, which ranked all ports across Australia (based on data for 1998-2004).

Number of Pages

36

Keywords

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, black-striped mussel, Mytilopsis sallei, Asian green mussel, Perna viridis, environmental monitoring

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Environmental Sciences

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