Ballast water is one of the main vectors of transport of nuisance species among marine ports. Neither treatment nor interchange completely reduces the risk of ballast water containing DNA from harmful species, being a signal of potential threat. However, although there are some efficient treatments, they are not available on all ships and there might be some technological/economical constrains for their active and routine usage. Understanding what routes lead to a higher risk of contamination is important for designing targeted surveillance. We analysed ballast water from seven ships arriving in Gijon port (south Bay of Biscay, Spain). DNA metabarcoding was employed for identification of exotic species and harmful algae. One ship carried DNA of 20 risk species in the ballast water. Three ships contained DNA of only one risk species, and three ships had none. Seventy two algae species were found, 22.2% are exotic to the Bay of Biscay and 11.1% are catalogued as harmful. The results demonstrated the importance of continuous surveillance of ballast water.

中文翻译：

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面向国际公约的压载水中的有害藻类。来自抵达比斯开湾的船舶的 DNA 元条形码的见解

压载水是海港之间有害物种运输的主要载体之一。无论是处理还是交换，都不能完全降低压载水含有有害物种 DNA 的风险，这是潜在威胁的信号。然而，尽管有一些有效的处理方法，但并非所有船舶都提供这些方法，并且可能存在一些技术/经济限制对其积极和常规使用。了解哪些途径导致更高的污染风险对于设计有针对性的监测很重要。我们分析了七艘抵达希洪港（西班牙比斯开湾南部）的船舶的压载水。DNA元条形码用于鉴定外来物种和有害藻类。一艘船在压舱水中携带了 20 种危险物种的 DNA。三艘船只含有一种危险物种的 DNA，三艘船没有。发现了 72 种藻类，其中 22.2% 是比斯开湾的外来藻类，11.1% 被列为有害藻类。结果证明了持续监测压载水的重要性。