73 



Testimony by: 

 George J. Ryan, President 

 Lake Carriers' Association 



U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 COiytMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERli, 



Subconimittee on Merchant Marine 



Subcommittee on Fisheries Management 



Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Navigation 



HEARING ON BALLAST EXCHANGE CONTROL ACT 



October 27, 1993 



Lake Carriers' Association represents 15 U.S.-flag Great Lakes fleets which have a combined total of 

 62 vessels with a per-trip capacity of 1,819,383 gross tons of bulk cargo. These commercial vessels 

 range in length from 383 to 1,013 feet and comprise more than 98 percent of the tonnage of U.S. Great 

 Lakes vessels engaged in the domestic trade. These vessels can carry more than 120 million tons of 

 cargo each year. 



Lake Carriers' Association is pleased to share our experiences with ballast water management in the 

 hopes that they can assist these Committees in the development of legislation to study the problems 

 related to the introduction of non-indigenous nuisance species into the Great Lakes and evaluate and test 

 promising ballast water management technologies and practices. We support this legislative process. 

 No doubt some of our member fleets will be willing to participate in joint public/private ventures to 

 demonstrate the most promising technologies or procedures. 



As you may already know, Lake Carriers' Association, in conjunction with other maritime interests on 

 the Great Lakes, recently instituted a Voluntary Ballast Water Management Plan (attached) to control 

 the spread of the European River Ruffe from its current habitat in Western Lake Superior. We and our 

 partners in this endeavor are, in the words of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "the first mantime 

 association in North America to propose a voluntary ballast water management strategy. " 



-Page 1 of 



