BIO INVASION AND AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES: Ships often take up ballast water in ports and coastal regions, where the ecosystems have a rich diversity of life. These biologically diverse waters, and their underlying sediments,including many forms of viruses, bacteria, plankton, algae, crustaceans, plants and animals, are sucked into vessels’ ballast tanks. Ballast water released during various stages of the ship’s journey, including at sea, along coastlines, and in various ports, results a diverse mix of organisms transported and released around the world.In addition, ballast water can carry organisms that endanger public health, including toxic dinoflagellates and cholera bacteria, having ecological effects.

In order to stop an invasion, organisms must not be discharged from ballast tanks. This action can be achieved by not taking organisms into ballast tanks, killing organisms during the voyage, or not discharging organisms when ballast water is released.