GREAT LAKES MARITIME INDUSTRY GREAT LAKES MARITIME INDUSTRY 

VOLUNTARY BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN (BMP) VOLUNTARY BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN (BMP) 

FOR THE CONTROL OF VIRAL HEMORRH FOR THE CONTROL OF VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA (VHS) VIRUS AGIC SEPTICEMIA (VHS) VIRUS AGIC SEPTICEMIA (VHS) VIRUS 

2007 EDITION 2007 EDITION 

(Issued March 2007) 

Owners and operators of vessels sailing exclusively within the Enclosed Aquatic Ecosystem of the Great Lakes 

recognize their role in assisting the governments of the United States and Canada in controlling the spread of invasive 

species. This BMP, specifically for the VHS virus, is in addition to general voluntary management practices for aquatic 

nuisance species. Vessels must use ballast water for safety purposes to provide adequate stability, trim, propulsion, 

maneuverability, and hull stress management. Recognizing these constraints, the marine industry will do everything 

within its power, consistent with safety and stability, to decrease the potential of moving fish from affected areas (Lake 

Huron, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the Canadian Maritime Provinces) to 

unaffected areas (Lake Michigan and Lake Superior). 

WHAT IS VHS AND HOW IS IT SPREAD? WHAT IS VHS AND HOW IS IT SPREAD? 

1) VHS is a virus that can cause fish to hemorrhage and result in large scale fish mortality in a short period of time. It 

is known to have existed in fish killed in 2003 in Lake St. Clair and resulted in a large fish kill in Lake Ontario in the 

spring of 2005. 

2) VHS can be found in multiple fish species. It does not affect humans. 

3) VHS is primarily transmitted by fish to fish contact via urine, feces, and sexual fluids. It enters the new host through 

the gills or wounds. It also may be possible for the virus to be transmitted by infected fish eggs. 

4) The VHS virus can survive indefinitely in a live host. It is not known how long it can survive outside of a host, but it 

may be a couple of days. If in contact with decaying organic matter, such as a dead fish, the VHS virus could 

survive longer and perhaps more than a week, but it is not known for certain. 

5) Fishery managers are doing what they can to slow the spread of the virus and account for the increase in natural 

fish mortality caused by the virus; however, once it is in wild fish populations, it is unlikely to be controlled and 

impossible to be eliminated. 

6) Potential vectors for the introduction and spread include: aquaculture, bait fish, recreational boaters, sport 

fishermen, organisms in trade, natural movement of species and predators, or any other vector capable of 

transporting a viable virus. The U.S. Federal Government is currently conducting a “risk analysis.” 

FOR ALL VESSELS DEPARTING AREAS KNOWN TO CONTAIN VHS TO UNAFFECTED PORTS AFFECTED PORTS 

1) In lieu of the normal 5-year inspection, annually inspect and replace, as necessary, ballast sea chest screens. 

Replace screens with the smallest openings allowed by good engineering practice. Inspections will be 

documented by log entry, diver’s report, video report, dry-docking report, marine inspection note, or surveyor’s 

report. 

2) During cargo operations, while accounting for boom list, hull stress, and bending moments, lighten the ship as 

much as practical to elevate water intakes before ballasting to minimize sediment uptake and increase water flow. 

3) Ballast water taken aboard in VHS affected waters should be the minimum needed to ensure the safety of the crew 

and vessel. Additional ballast water can be taken aboard, once deeper water is reached. 

4) Ballast water should always be taken aboard or discharged via the pumps and never “gravity fed or drained.” This 

ensures a fish that somehow makes it past the screen is pulverized by the high speed, high pressure, and tight 

tolerance pump. 

VOLUNTARY BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN CO- VOLUNTARY BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN CO-SPONSORED BY: SPONSORED BY: 

 

Lake Carriers' Association • Shipping Federation of Canada • United States Great Lakes Shipping Association 

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