Legislation and the capacity for rapid‐response management of nonindigenous species of fish in contiguous waters of Canada and the USA

• 1. The provision of Canadian and US hard, enforceable, law to authorize rapid response management of nonindigenous aquatic species originating from aquaculture, live fish sales, bait fish, and the pet trade was analysed at the provincial/state levels of government for the Atlantic, Laurentian Great Lakes, and Pacific regions of North America.
• 2. No federal legal capacity for rapid response management exists in either country. US state legislation is generally better developed than Canadian provincial laws to manage the exotic fish trade. However, much discrepancy exists among provincial and state law regarding provisions to restrict or prohibit potentially harmful species. Aquaculture and baitfish use is generally better regulated than live fish markets and the pet fish trade in both countries. Only the state of Maine has laws authorizing rapid‐response management to control escaped exotic fish.
• 3. Most species of nonindigenous fish arise from the aquarium, pet, and baitfish trades, and development of improved legislation containing provisions for rapid response management of escapees is warranted in all states and provinces.
• 4. It is recommended that Canada amends the Fisheries Act to create the appropriate enabling legislation to monitor, assess risk, and deploy rapid response management of nonindigenous aquatic species, including fish that enter federal fresh and sea waters. Two recently‐introduced US Bills, S. 725 and H.R. 1350, with their explicit measures for early detection and fast action response, could, if passed into law, create provisions to control introduced nuisance species throughout North American waters. They would also create precedents for states and provinces that have most jurisdiction over aquaculture and trade in exotic fish to amend and align their laws in a complementary manner.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dinoflagellate cysts in ballast sediments: differences between Canada's east coast,west coast and the Great Lakes

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Estimating local and regional population sizes for an endangered minnow,redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus), in Canada

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Unintentional dispersal of aquatic invertebrates via footwear and motor vehicles in a Mediterranean wetland area

• 1. Several human activities, such as actions for nature conservation, research and recreational activities, are closely associated with inland aquatic habitats that are usually considered as isolated island habitats. In this study, the possibility of unintentional dispersal of aquatic invertebrates among water bodies via footwear and motor vehicles was investigated.
• 2. Mud samples collected from boots and from the tyres and wheel cases of cars used for field work by biologists (Camargue, Southern France) were hatched under laboratory conditions and also checked for the presence of unhatched propagules. A large number of organisms hatched and invertebrate propagules from a wide range of taxa were encountered (including Artemia, freshwater large branchiopods, Cladocera, Ostracoda, Rotifera, Turbellaria, Nematoda, etc.). The results also demonstrated that different research groups tend to transport the aquatic invertebrates typical for their respective study systems.
• 3. Human dispersal of aquatic invertebrates has been studied mainly on large continental scales, such as in the case of transoceanic transport via ballast water in ships. This study provides evidence that dispersal via footwear and motor vehicles may result in frequent dispersal of aquatic invertebrates on a local scale, and we presume also occasionally over longer distances. Given the rapid spread of invasive zooplankton species (e.g. Artemia franciscana encountered in this study), we promote caution and recommend cleaning before transport of any equipment which comes in contact with water or aquatic sediment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Factors influencing densities of non‐indigenous species in the ballast water of ships arriving at ports in Puget Sound,Washington, United States

• 1. Oceanographic characteristics and the presence of international shipping in Puget Sound, Washington, USA contribute to its vulnerability to non‐indigenous species (NIS) invasions. To evaluate NIS arriving in ballast water, zooplankton was sampled in 380 ballast tanks of ships after they entered Puget Sound.
• 2. Taxa were classified into a higher risk group of coastal organisms (including known NIS), and a lower risk group of largely oceanic species. Most ships reported conducting mid‐ocean ballast water exchange (BWE). However, despite state regulations requiring BWE, and apparent compliance by ship operators, most sampled tanks from both transpacific and coastal routes had coastal zooplankton densities exceeding internationally proposed discharge standards.
• 3. BWE efficiency models and controlled before‐and‐after BWE experiments indicate that BWE consistently removes most coastal zooplankton. However, this study found that although the empty–refill method of BWE significantly reduced coastal plankton compared with un‐exchanged tanks, the flow‐through method did not, and in either case remaining coastal plankton densities presented appreciable risks of introducing NIS.
• 4. Densities of high risk taxa were consistently and significantly higher from US domestic trips dominated by tank ships carrying ballast water from California, and lower in samples from trans‐Pacific trips dominated by container ships and bulk carriers with ballast from Asia. These findings are probably a result of the dense and diverse NIS assemblages present in California and other US west coast estuaries and the comparatively short transit times between them and Puget Sound.
• 5. While it appears that BWE can effectively replace NIS with less risky ocean species, new reporting, verification, and operational procedures may be necessary to enhance BWE efficacy. In the long‐term, the introduction of ballast water treatment technologies may be required to significantly reduce the discharge of risky organisms from commercial ships if BWE practices do not become more effective.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prioritizing marine invasive alien species in the European Union through horizon scanning

1. The disproportionately low presence of marine species in the list of invasive alien species (IAS) of Union concern of the European Union (EU) Regulation 1143/2014 does not fully acknowledge the threat they pose to the EU marine environment.
2. In this study, the first EU‐scale Horizon Scanning (HS) focusing on marine alien species was performed, aiming to deliver a ranked list of species that should be of high priority for risk assessment (Article 5 of the EU IAS Regulation).
3. Species absent from or with a limited distribution in EU marine waters were targeted. In total, 363 alien species were initially screened for HS by a panel of experts, including a broad range of taxonomic groups. Species were scored for their likelihood of arrival, establishment, spread, and impact in EU waters.
4. A consensus workshop ranked 267 species, including a subset of 26 prioritized species. These species are considered to be mainly introduced by shipping (fouling and ballast water), via the Suez Canal, and aquaculture activities. The 26 priority species were also scrutinized in terms of feasibility of their management; 18 of them were suggested for performing risk assessments on the basis of the EU IAS Regulation.
5. Since biological invasions are dynamic and connected with accelerated globalization and diversified human activities, we recommend HS to be repeated periodically to review the species already listed and assess new ones.

     

Comprehensive review of the records of the biota of the Indian Seas and introduction of non‐indigenous species

• 1. Comparison of the pre‐1960 faunal survey data for the Indian Seas with that for the post‐1960 period showed that 205 non‐indigenous taxa were introduced in the post‐1960 period; shipping activity is considered a plausible major vector for many of these introductions.
• 2. Of the non‐indigenous taxa, 21% were fish, followed by Polychaeta (<11%), Algae (10%), Crustacea (10%), Mollusca (10%), Ciliata (8%), Fungi (7%), Ascidians (6%) and minor invertebrates (17%).
• 3. An analysis of the data suggests a correspondence between the shipping routes between India and various regions. There were 75 species common to the Indian Seas and the coastal seas of China and Japan, 63 to the Indo‐Malaysian region, 42 to the Mediterranean, 40 and 34 to western and eastern Atlantic respectively, and 41 to Australia and New Zealand. A further 33 species were common to the Caribbean region, 32 to the eastern Pacific, 14 and 24 to the west and east coasts of Africa respectively, 18 to the Baltic, 15 to the middle Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, and 10 to the Brazilian coast.
• 4. The Indo‐Malaysian region can be identified as a centre of xenodiversity for biota from Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Philippines and Australian regions.
• 5. Of the introduced species, the bivalve Mytilopsis sallei and the serpulid Ficopomatus enigmaticus have become pests in the Indian Seas, consistent with the Williamson and Fitter ‘tens rule’. Included amongst the biota with economic impact are nine fouling and six wood‐destroying organisms.
• 6. Novel occurrences of the human pathogenic vibrios, e.g. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, non‐01 Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio mimicus and the harmful algal bloom species Alexandrium spp. and Gymnodinium nagasakiense in the Indian coastal waters could be attributed to ballast water introductions.
• 7. Introductions of alien biota could pose a threat to the highly productive tropical coastal waters, estuaries and mariculture sites and could cause economic impacts and ecological surprises.
• 8. In addition to strict enforcement of a national quarantine policy on ballast water discharges, long‐term multidisciplinary research on ballast water invaders is crucial to enhance our understanding of the biodiversity and functioning of the ecosystem.

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Population structure,genetic diversity,and colonization history of the eastern pondmussel,Sagittunio nasutus,in the Great Lakes drainage

1. The eastern pondmussel, Sagittunio nasutus (Bivalvia: Unionida), has declined in abundance and distribution in eastern North America over the last few decades. The declines are predominantly the result of infestation by invasive dreissenid mussels and changes in habitat. The species is now considered imperilled across large portions of its distribution, especially in the Laurentian Great Lakes region.
2. The genetic diversity and structure of the remnant populations in the Great Lakes region were assessed using 10 newly developed microsatellite DNA loci for S. nasutus. Understanding the remaining populations can inform future management projects and determine whether the remnant populations have experienced a genetic bottleneck or a founder effect. We hope that this will inform the conservation of other species in regions founded by, and isolated from, a more genetically diverse source population or with disjointed geographical distributions.
3. Focusing on the Great Lakes region, samples (n = 428) from 62 collection sites in 28 water bodies were collected. Across the locations sampled for S. nasutus 11 genetic populations were identified, with significant genetic differentiation among them. The genetic structure of the species was assessed, with genetic similarities among populations compared and with geographical routes of colonization and gene flow evaluated.
4. Initial colonization from the Atlantic coast into Lake Erie and Lake Ontario is evident, followed by colonization events into nearby inland rivers and lakes. Analyses found evidence of inbreeding in all but one population and evidence of past genetic bottlenecks or strong founder effects in all but four populations. This study deepens our understanding of the genetic past and present of this imperilled species, providing conservation suggestions for the future management of the species.

     

Impact of recreational power boating on two populations of northern map turtles (Graptemys geographica)

• 1. Recreational power boating is growing in popularity in North America. This activity is known to have lethal and sub‐lethal effects on aquatic wildlife and freshwater turtles may be particularly sensitive to this activity.
• 2. This study reports on patterns of traumatic injuries inflicted by powerboat propellers to northern map turtles (Graptemys geographica) from two sites differing in boat traffic intensity in Ontario, Canada.
• 3. The relative vulnerability of turtles was assessed, in light of seasonal patterns in boat traffic, as a function of sex‐ and age‐specific movement patterns, habitat use, and basking behaviour obtained by radio‐telemetry. Population viability analyses (PVA) were also conducted to evaluate the potential demographic consequences of mortality induced by powerboats.
• 4. The prevalence of propeller injuries was two to nine times higher in adult females than in adult males and juvenile females. Patterns of movement, habitat use, and aquatic basking indicated that adult females are more exposed to collisions with boats. PVA showed that boat‐induced mortality in adult females could lead to rapid population extinction if the risk of mortality when hit by a boat is greater than 10%.
• 5. The results of this study showed that recreational power boating is a serious threat to northern map turtles, even under moderate boat traffic. The need to adopt measures restricting boat traffic in areas important to turtles is discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Pacific oysters,Crassostrea gigas,established in Scotland

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Dilution stress facilitates colonization of invasive mosquitofish in a saline Mediterranean stream: population biology response

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A case study of surrogate species in aquatic conservation planning

• 1. The use of surrogate species (i.e. keystones, indicators, umbrellas) has been advocated for the conservation of target taxa and communities.
• 2. A recent Habitat Conservation Plan, which provided conservation measures intended to protect multiple aquatic species of concern over a large area, established an important precedent for surrogate species in aquatic conservation pursuant to the US Endangered Species Act.
• 3. The Habitat Conservation Plan's application of federally threatened bull trout was evaluated as an umbrella species for westslope cutthroat trout, which is in decline but not listed under the Act. Approximately 75% of known westslope cutthroat trout strongholds are not captured within bull trout strongholds west of the continental divide. The Habitat Conservation Plan failed to evaluate the suitability of this umbrella species and consequently failed to cover important priority areas for westslope cutthroat trout conservation.
• 4. This case study highlights the feasibility and importance of formally validating assumptions of surrogate species utility in multi‐species conservation planning.

Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Invasive silver carp may compete with unionid mussels for algae: First experimental evidence

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Abiotic and biotic associations between the round goby Neogobius melanostomus and tubenose goby Proterorhinus marmoratus with the endangered northern madtom Noturus stigmosus in Canada

1. Quantifying habitat associations and threats to the persistence of imperilled species is a fundamental step for initiating species recovery efforts, but the traits associated with species imperillment (e.g. rarity and vulnerability to stressors) also limit the ability to empirically inform recovery strategies. Novel sampling designs and modelling approaches are therefore needed to quantitatively assess habitat associations and the threats to species persistence.
2. To improve the understanding of habitat associations and threats for one of the rarest endangered freshwater fish species in Canada, northern madtom (Noturus stigmosus), two‐species occupancy models were developed with two invasive gobies: round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and tubenose goby (Proterorhinus marmoratus). Models were parameterized with data from a multi‐year benthic trawling survey of two large Great Lakes tributaries in southern Ontario, Canada, and subsequently used to evaluate the need for reducing measurement error with future sampling efforts.
3. The probability of detecting northern madtom in the St. Clair (0.163) and Thames (0.194) rivers was low compared with round goby (St. Clair, 0.827; Thames, 0.833) and tubenose goby (St. Clair, 0.297). The best occupancy models indicated a negative association between northern madtom and round goby in the St. Clair River and the importance of gravel substrate for northern madtom.
4. Up to 16 repeated non‐detections using benthic trawls are needed to be 95% confident that northern madtom is absent at a site, indicating that current sampling approaches are likely inadequate.
5. Despite low detection probabilities, intensive trawling surveys combined with the two‐species occupancy modelling framework provided vital information for describing habitat associations for northern madtom and identified a significant negative association with round goby. Nonetheless, alternative sampling methods to improve the detection probability of northern madtom would allow a more robust evaluation of habitat associations and would provide more information on the negative association with round goby.

     

New Zealand's Resource Management Act and fresh water

• 1. This paper describes New Zealand's Resource Management Act in relation to freshwater management and conservation.
• 2. The development of the Act is described with reference to the consolidation and integration of earlier legislation. The central concept of sustainable management is more limited than the related concept of sustainable development, and places constraints on activities which have environmental impacts.
• 3. The specific provisions relating to fresh water are noted, and the resource consents required for taking water, damming or diverting watercourses, and discharging into water, or onto land where the discharge may reach water, are described. The relation of riparian management to the requirement for protection of fish habitat is noted, and water conservation orders are described. Attention is given to the likely implications for managers.
• 4. An attempt is made to anticipate difficulties that may arise in implementing the Act; in particular, the possible balancing between socio-economic and ecological considerations. The specific features of the freshwater environment are considered from the viewpoint of management, and the problems involved in tradeability are noted. Attention is drawn to the scope of the Act in the attempted integration of most, but not all, environmental considerations, and a final evaluation suggests that economic growth is likely to present a substantial challenge to the purpose of the Act.

     

Living on the edge: Traits of freshwater fish species at risk in Canada

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Aquatic macroinvertebrates from littoral vegetated lakes in arid Patagonia: The influence of fish introduction on community structure

1. Wetlands in arid regions are characterized by their great heterogeneity, often including endemic species that contribute to regional aquatic biodiversity. In the Patagonian steppe, most lakes are naturally fishless and sustain a rich aquatic biodiversity, including endemics; however, many of these lakes have been stocked with Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout) during recent decades. The introduction of predatory fish into aquatic ecosystems naturally devoid of these organisms can produce profound alterations in the structure of the original communities and in the configuration of their biotic assemblages.
2. Aquatic invertebrates play important roles in both the structure and functioning of freshwater ecosystems, including their contribution to global biodiversity and their cascading effects across ecosystem boundaries.
3. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of introduced non-native fish on the pleustonic macroinvertebrate assemblage. Samples were taken from 10 shallow Patagonian lakes (five fishless and five stocked with fish) in two consecutive warm periods.
4. Lakes with fish had higher conductivity and phosphate values. Higher inter-annual differences were also observed in lakes with fish for phytoplanktonic chlorophyll a, nitrate, phosphate, conductivity, and water temperature.
5. The community structure (relative abundance of different taxa, species composition, and diversity index) was affected by the presence of rainbow trout, with the differences mainly driven by the relative abundance of Ostracoda, Hyalella, Chironomidae, and Haliplus species.
6. This approach can be used to assess the required conservation actions in shallow Patagonian steppe lakes, which have been listed as priority areas for waterbird conservation. Specifically, this study provides a baseline for monitoring future trends of the macroinvertebrate communities and for evaluating conservation and management efforts over time.

     

The effects of noise disturbance from various recreational boating activities common to inland waters on the cardiac physiology of a freshwater fish,the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

• 1. Recreational boating continues to grow in popularity, yet little is known about the effects of noise disturbance from boating on fish. Therefore, this study evaluated the organism‐level cardiovascular disturbance associated with different recreational boating activities using largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) as a model.
• 2. Cardiac output and its components (heart rate and stroke volume) were monitored in real time, allowing for the determination of the magnitude of disturbance and the time required for recovery. Fish responses to three noise disturbances (canoe paddling, trolling motor, and combustion engine (9.9 hp)) for 60 s were contrasted using a Latin squares design.
• 3. Exposure to each of the treatments resulted in an increase in cardiac output in all fish, associated with a dramatic increase in heart rate and a slight decrease in stroke volume. The level of change in cardiac output and its components increased in magnitude from the canoe treatment to the trolling motor treatment with the most extreme response being to that of the combustion engine treatment. Furthermore, time required for cardiovascular variables to recover varied across treatments with shortest periods for the canoe paddling disturbance (～15 min), the longest periods for the combustion engine (～40 min), and intermediate recovery periods for the trolling motor (～25 min).
• 4. Collectively, these results demonstrate that fish experienced sublethal physiological disturbances in response to the noise propagated from recreational boating activities. This work contributes to a growing body of research that has revealed that boating activities can have a number of ecological and environmental consequences such that their use may not be compatible with aquatic protected areas. Future research should evaluate how free‐swimming fish in the wild respond to such stressors relative to frequency of exposure and proximity to noise as most research to date has occurred in the laboratory.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The ‘killer shrimp’ Dikerogammarus villosus (Crustacea,Amphipoda) invading Alpine lakes: overland transport by recreational boats and scuba‐diving gear as potential entry vectors?

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The conservation of freshwater macroinvertebrate populations: a community‐based classification scheme

• 1. A novel conservation indexing protocol is presented which aims to summarize aquatic macroinvertebrate data obtained from inland flowing‐ and still‐water sites in Great Britain. Unlike other summary expressions of conservation value, the Community Conservation Index (CCI) accounts for community richness in the final analysis, as well as the relative rarity of species present.
• 2. Examples are provided to show how taxonomically rich ecosystems can obtain very high values of CCI that are broadly equivalent to CCI scores obtained from other sites supporting nationally rare species. In addition, the CCI is capable of local adjustment, to accommodate nationally common species occurring outside their normal range.
• 3. Examples show typical CCI outputs from a range of riverine and still‐water habitats, and illustrate how this analysis can help in the day‐to‐day assessment and management of both lotic and lentic ecosystems. The index has already been used in legal submissions for public inquiries on Sites of Special Scientific Interest protected under British law and has contributed to the designation of such sites. It has also been used to inform management decisions on sites selected as candidate Special Areas of Conservation and as an operational tool using routinely obtained datasets.
• 4. The CCI provides an empirical basis for conservation initiatives, programmes and strategies, by producing a summary of aquatic invertebrate data over any appropriate scale of time and space. Furthermore, the final analysis need not be constrained by distribution of nationally rare species, but can indicate exceptionally rich or regionally unusual invertebrate populations.

Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.