Potential ballast water transfer of organisms from the west to the east coast of India: Insights through on board sampling

Abstract

The possibility of translocation of organisms via ship's ballast water (BW) during a voyage from Hazira on the west coast to Visakhapatnam on the east coast of India was assessed. Samples of BW during the voyage and discharge and sediment collected subsequent to discharge of BW were collected and analyzed for different abiotic and biotic components. It was observed that the salinity did not change, whereas temperature and pH of BW increased marginally during the voyage. A marginal increase in the dissolved oxygen is observed during rough-very rough sea conditions. A sharp decline in the phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance observed in the initial ballast tank sample compared to natural seawater indicates the impact of ballast water pumping on the plankton community. Changes in the sea state during the voyage (slight-moderate to rough-very rough) resulted in a higher sediment suspension rate and suspended particulate matter and this coincided with higher bacterial abundance followed by increase in phytoplankton. An increase in the phytoplankton abundance in the discharge water could be attributed to the inoculum from the sediment. The abundance of zooplankton decreased from the start till the end of the voyage, with high numbers of dead zooplankton in the discharge sample.