An Investigation of the Benthic (fauna on and in the Seabed) Community structure along the South East Coast and Galeota Port, Trinidad

An Investigation of the Benthic (fauna on and in the Seabed) Community structure along the South East Coast and Galeota Port, Trinidad

Trinidad and Tobago acceded to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) in January 2012. Ships carry ballast water to provide stability, thrust and manoeuvrability, depending on the quantity of cargo being transported; as well as to compensate loss of fuel weight, water consumption, and to maintain structural stress at acceptable levels while in operations. The BWM Convention came into force in 2017, and requires new and existing ships carrying ballast water to control and manage their ballast in compliance with Convention standards. Article 6 of the BWM Convention (Scientific and Technical Research and Monitoring) states parties shall endeavour, individually or jointly to monitor the effects of ballast water management in waters under their jurisdiction where such research and monitoring can include observation, measurement, sampling, evaluation and analysis of technology and organisms and pathogens identified in the transfer of ships’ ballast water. A Port Biological Baseline Survey (PBBS) can provide inventories of marine life in and around commercial ports frequented by ships carrying ballast water. The Port of Galeota was selected as the study location for a macro-benthic survey as it is a relatively new Port, and assumed to be less impacted than the other major ports in Trinidad. The purpose of this benthic survey is to gather information on marine biodiversity within the port, with a particular emphasis on establishing the presence of non-indigenous species.