Risk Assessment in Ballast Water Management - Global Maritime Transport and Ballast Water Management: Issues and Solutions - page 149

data to characterise the introductions of harmful species via ballast water. Therefore,
to keep the selective RA based BWM approach effective as much as possible,
the precautionary principle 8 applies as a fundamental principle 9 in this RA process
(EU Commission 2000 ; IMO 2007 ).
For the needs of environmental matching RA reliable environmental data need
to be provided. For the needs of species-specifi c and species' biogeographical RA
reliable biological data is needed. Critical issues identifi ed regarding knowledge
and data needs for RA include:

- the lack of data on harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOP) presence

and abundance in ports (i.e., donor environment/port);

- the lack of knowledge regarding the survival of species during the voyage; and

- the lack of knowledge on their possible behaviour in the new environment.

Due to the poor general knowledge already mentioned, the weighting of impor-
tance of even a single parameter is diffi cult or may be impossible. Therefore we
consider the risk parameters as of equal importance.
There have been relatively few comprehensive port baseline surveys conducted
worldwide which have focused on collecting data regarding the presence of harmful
species in ports and surrounding environments. In total, >100 port baseline surveys
were conducted in more than 20 countries (Campbell et al. 2007 ; WGBOSV 2013 ;
WGITMO 2013 ) which cover only ca. 1 % of the more than 9,400 ports in the world
(Lloyd's Register 2007 ). Additionally, many of these studies are now out of date,
with few continuous surveillance regimes in place (Hewitt et al. 2004a ; Campbell
et al. 2007 ). Consequently, the knowledge on cryptogenic and non-indigenous species
as well as harmful native species in ports is limited, but essential for a comprehen-
sive RA.
Introductions of new harmful aquatic species occur almost on a monthly basis,
which has been proven by different studies around the world (e.g., Carlton 1985 ;
Williams et al. 1988 ; Macdonald and Davidson 1997 ; Gollasch et al. 2000 , 2002 ;
Olenin et al. 2000 ; Carlton 2001 ; Hewitt et al. 2004b ; David et al. 2007 ; Flagella
et al. 2007 ). In ICES member countries a new species introduction forming a new
population beyond its natural range occurs about every 9 weeks (Minchin et al.
2005 ). This includes the secondary spread of earlier introduced species in neigh-
bouring areas (Minchin et al. 2005 ) (see chapter “ The Transfer of Harmful Aquatic
Organisms and Pathogens with Ballast Water and Their Impacts ” ). For instance,
during the ballast water sampling study conducted in the Port of Koper (Slovenia),
ballast water originating from ports in the same region (i.e., Mediterranean Sea, and
mostly the Adriatic Sea) contained non-indigenous species that were not yet
recorded in the Port of Koper area (David et al. 2007 ). This also leads to the conclu-
sion that results from a port baseline survey by itself cannot last forever, but should
be followed by a monitoring program to document possible new arrivals of harmful

8 Communication from the Commission on the Precautionary Principle, Brussels, 02.02.2000.
9 In the EU should be implemented when RA concerns environmental and human health protection
and in the lack of robust scientifi c evidence (EU Commission 2000 ).