17 



emments of the world, not just the Grovernment of the United 

 States, should very much engage in the kind of research that is 

 needed to find the kind of technology. 



After all, 95 percent of all the commerce of the United States is 

 carried on foreign ships. Any efforts to be done by any U.S. ship- 

 owner, for instance, is only a drop in the bucket. It will have to be 

 a worldwide effort, sir. 



Mr. Coble. You mentioned individual countries. Canada New 

 Zealand, United States. What was the fourth country you named? 



Mr. Ryan. Australia. 



Mr. Coble. Those are the four leaders? 



Mr. Ryan. I think the Captain may know much more. He is 

 working on those committee, but those are the four I identify. 



Mr. Coble. Captain, can you extend that list? 



Captain Donohoe. The other major player would be Japan. 



There is not a lot of international involvement. These are the 

 leaders in the IMO work group and are the nations that are in fact 

 trjdng to define the scope of the problem and get the international 

 attention needed to provide a fix. 



Mr. Coble. These are the five stars. Conversely, would there be 

 any countries whom we would classify as the villains; or all the 

 rest of them just are pretty much ignoring it? 



Captain Donohoe. I don't know that anybody is ignoring it, sir. 

 What is happening is these five nations have had nonindigenous 

 outbreaks, to use Dr. Carlton's term, and, as a result, they are a lot 

 more sensitive to the problems associated with not properly han- 

 dling or managing ballast water. 



I think what we are seeing, having been involved in the last 

 three MEPC meetings at IMO, is an increasing number of nations 

 are becoming aware of the potential that the lack of a program 

 brings to their national waters. And I think that through the ef- 

 forts in our working group over the next meeting or two, we will 

 see a dramatic increase in the number of nations that are sensitive 

 to the issue and, hopefully, an increase in the number of nations 

 that are willing to take it on as an issue to try to solve it more 

 from a preventive standpoint than a reactive standpoint. 



Mr. Coble. Captain, based on what has been submitted thus far, 

 I think I know what your gmswer will be, but I would like it for the 

 record. 



I know you and the Coast Guard have recently mandated ballast 

 water exchange requirements in the Great Lakes in its effort to im- 

 plement the Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990, 

 I think. The Coast Guard, I am advised, furthermore, has begun to 

 test the ballast water of oceangoing vessels as they enter the lakes' 

 system. 



Now, with these new efforts on line, do you feel that additional 

 ballast control programs are, in fact, necessary? 



Captain Donohoe. Yes, sir, I think we need to take a look at 

 other alternatives. As I mentioned in my formal statement for the 

 record, and Ln my brief verbal remarks, there are other technol- 

 ogies that need to be explored. 



Ballast water management and ballast water exchange as the 

 principal alternative at this point in time provide a good line of 



