Ballast water management systems (BWMS) Type approval: A new application for flow imaging microscopy (FlowCAM)

Ballast water is a well-known vector for non-indigenous organisms' introduction, causing harm to ecology, economy, and human health. Following International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations, all vessels should use an approved ballast water management system (BWMS) to reduce the transfer of organisms. As a result, rapid and accurate methods are needed for effective ballast water management. In this paper, we examined the applicability of a flow imaging microscopy (FlowCAM) for detecting phytoplankton in land-based and shipboard BWMS tests. The results showed that FlowCAM failed to recognize and tended to underestimate the abundance of some species in comparison to a fluorescence microscope. However, the abundance of many other species or genera estimated by the two methods was similar. Generally speaking, although some discrepancies were observed, considering the efficiency of FlowCAM in capturing images and measuring the abundance of particles, FlowCAM may become a promising technology in BWMS Type Approval.& COPY; 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Ballast water is a known pathway for introducing non-indigenous organisms, causing harm to the environment, economy, and human health. This study investigated the suitability of FlowCAM for detecting phytoplankton in land-based and shipboard ballast water management system tests. The results showed that FlowCAM had limitations in recognizing and estimating the abundance of certain species compared to a fluorescence microscope. However, for many other species or genera, the results from both methods were similar. Overall, considering the imaging capabilities and particle abundance measurement of FlowCAM, it may be a promising technology for ballast water management system type approval.