Coast Internship: Vessel Biofouling Management and Invasive Species Project

Download or read book Coast Internship: Vessel Biofouling Management and Invasive Species Project written by Julisa Pennie Portugal and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The overarching theme for my internship with the California State Lands Commission was identifying commercial vessel biofouling and enforcement compliance on biofouling regulations. Biofouling is a major pathway for the introduction of non-indigenous marine species into new regions. The internship comprised three projects focused on the implementation and enforcement of vessel biofouling management strategies and requirements. These requirements require every vessel to provide a detailed biofouling management plan for specific niche areas and a biofouling record book with recordings of actions taken. For the first project, remote operated vehicle (ROV) surveys were conducted on five vessels that were involved in the Wheeler North Reef mitigation project. These surveys provided insight on the extensive amount of biofouling found on the vessel hull bottom. The second and third projects focused on vessel biofouling management practices and the enforcement of California Code of Regulations Article 4.8, Biofouling Management to Minimize the Transfer of Nonindigenous Species from Vessels Arriving at California Ports (Title 2, Chapter 3, Sections 2298.1 et seq.). The second project involved on-board inspections of the vessel's biofouling management plan and record book. Eleven vessels docked in the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles were inspected for proper documentation. The third project delivered a broader perspective on enforcement compliance and non-compliance by the shipping industry since the inception of these new laws. Working on these projects gave me a deeper understanding of environmental policy and how compliance is enforced. I also gained a better understanding of how a blend of communication and interaction among different industries, stakeholders, and regulators is crucial to preventing the spread of invasive species.