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Critics say ship ballast plan not strong enough
- Article from:
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Capital (Annapolis)
- Article date:
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March 30, 2004
- Author:
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Copyright informationCopyright 2004 Capital (Annapolis). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Lawmakers and environ-mentalists say that an international plan to
limit the introduction of invasive species in ships' ballast is not
nearly stringent enough to protect U.S. waters.
The rules adopted last month by the International Maritime
Organization of the United Nations are the first attempt at
regulating and measuring organic output in the water drawn in to or
released by a ship for balance.
But while the rules are an important first step, critics said
yesterday that the international standards are still 1,000 times less
stringent than U.S. officials wanted, leaving the door open to the
continued introduction of foreign species that travel in ballast of
ships from abroad.
Such species ...