New Restrictions Prohibiting Ballast Water Discharges

Emergency restrictions go into effect today prohibiting ballast water discharges and exchanges in the waters of Isle Royale National Park by freighters and recreational boaters. The move is aimed at preventing the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia to fish communities in and surrounding the park. Isle Royale National Park’s waters extend four and a half miles from the island’s shore in all directions. They overlap two shipping routes from the Soo Locks to Thunder Bay, Ontario.