Databases to support different ballast water management tools

Abstract

Ballast Water Management (BWM) is a complex process in which decision-making must be based on proven scientific evidence. For example, data is needed to make decisions on the granting of exemptions from BWM, to support an early warning system to inform seafarers about where ballasting should not be conducted due to the presence of harmful organisms, to control and eradicate invasive species and to measure the effectiveness of the BWM Convention in reducing the rate of new species introductions. To support different BWM tools, the data should be diverse and multifaceted, ranging from taxonomy and biological traits of introduced species to the limits of their ecological tolerance, vectors of introduction, history of invasions and actual geographic distribution, their impact on human health, economy and environment. Here we present examples of how existing databases can be used to provide the information needed for the implementation of the BWM Convention in general. Particular attention is paid to AquaNIS, an information system on aquatic non-indigenous and cryptogenic species that stores a wealth of data and is equipped with several useful tools aiding decision-making processes.