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Using Microwaves To Cook Ballast Stowaways
Smivs writes "US researchers say they have developed an effective way to kill unwanted plants and animals that hitch a ride in the ballast waters of cargo vessels. Tests showed that a continuous microwave system was able to remove all marine life within the water tanks. The UN lists 'invasive species' dispersed by ballast water discharges as one of the four main threats to the world's marine ecosystems. For example European zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have infested more than 40% of the US's inland waterways. Between 1989 and 2000, up to $1B is estimated to have been spent on controlling the spread of the alien invader."
With modern transportation, and international trade flourishing across the globe, "invasive species" are the cost of doing business. There's simply no way we'll be able to stop many of these migrations in the long run. Life will simply have to adapt.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
Why is success being punished?
Can we eat them? Problem solved.
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Some environmentalist has to tell me why we don't just import its natural predator. And don't give me crap about 'well it could be an invasive species too.' If it's high up the food chain, it will be forced to live in equilibrium with its prey. Has it ever even been tried?
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In Australia the Cane Toad was introduced as a natural predator for the imported ("i forget") species. It turned out to be much worse than the original problem.
The great lakes were dying from pollution before the zebra mussels.
At least the water that goes downstream is cleaner than it would be otherwise.
Hey, when life hands you a lemon ...
He's simply arguing that the mistake highlights a risk (and an inconvenience) which may be avoided by the mechanism described in TFA, while still addressing the problems which necessitate the ballast dumping in the first place.
(Whether or not the proposed mechanism is, in fact, adequate, feasible, or ultimately desirable/undesirable in a global deployment is, however, beyond the scope of this particular facet of the discussion).
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Are Coyotes really effective against deer? It would seem a pack of them would be needed to successfully cull the herd... and then wouldn't they just seek out the path of least resistence... and go after wild turkey, small mammals, dogs... whatever?
That's because there are too damn many Greenies involved that don't realize why these pests were shot on sight to begin with. It's illegal to shoot them in CA because of such lunacy. Instead of bringing in coyotes, Chicago should have brought in hunters and had them exterminate all the deer.