선박 밸러스트 수를 통한 인천항내 외래 해양종 적응에 대한 잠재적 가능성

Abstract

Ballast water is absolutely essential to the safe and efficient operation of modern shipping, providing balance and stability when sailing without cargo. Generally, ballast water is taken abroad as cargo is unloaded and is discharged overseas before loading new cargo (Mimura, 2005). About 10 billion tonnes of ballast water is discharged annually world-wide, contain a mixture of organisms from many tanxonomic groups associated with several geographic regions (Niimi, 2004). Diverse marine species are being carried in ship's ballast tanks and spread in ballast water around the world. Most, but not all, indigenous species do not survive on the voyages, as a result of physical effect : ballasting and deballasting and environment inside ballast tanks can be quite hostile to organism survival. However, when environment is favourable to invasive marine species, introduction species establish a reproductive population in the receiving area and it may alter the structure and function of indigenous marine ecosystem. Therefore, present study was planned to examine on the physical and chemical factors and species composition of phytoplankton in the Incheon port and ship's ballast water, so as to potential possibility of adaptation of foreign marine species through ship's ballast water in the Incheon port.Samples were collected at the inner port of two stations and outer port of seven stations in the Incheon port and ballast water of three commercial vessels (Saracen star ; Souther China Sea, Heung-A Bangkok ; Chiwan port, Lime Bell ; off Taiwan), during 12th to 15th April 2006. Environmental factors, generally, temperature, salinity and nutrient in the ambient sea water was similar to those in the ship's ballast water. Thus, survive species when discharged ballast water in the Incheon port, can establish a plankton community. However, until recently, non-native species has not been observed in the Incheon port, and then further research is needed to define possible adaptatio