More than half of the non-native aquatic species in Spain are introduced accidentally
More than half of the non-native aquatic species in Spain are introduced accidentally
Rodolphe Gozlan said at the University of Navarra that 10% of non-native varieties become invasive and 10% of them damage the ecosystem.
Fifty-eight percent of the non-native aquatic species in Spain have been introduced accidentally and correspond mainly to fungi (24%), gastropods (18%) and bivalves -such as the zebra mussel- (7%). This was indicated by Rodolphe Gozlan, professor at the University of Bournemouth, who spoke at the workshop on Invasive Freshwater Invasive Species, organized by the School of Sciences of the University of Navarra.
In total, according to the expert, there are 105 non-native varieties in Spanish waters, divided into fish (36%), algae (16%), crustaceans (14%), parasites (14%), gastropods (12%), bivalves (7%) and fungi (1%).
Likewise, 31 of the 37 non-native fish species in Spain are freshwater species. "Of these," he noted, "the one with the greatest potential ecological impact is the catfish (Ameiurus melas), which accounts for 42% of the introductions; followed by the Pseudorasbora (pseudorasbora parva), which amounts to 37%.
Economic benefits versus ecological risks
"The more non-native species that are included, the greater the possibility of associated ecological impacts. Ten percent will become invasive and 10 percent of these will cause harm to the ecosystem," warned Professor Rodolphe Gozlan. Specifically, he mentioned the example of Spanish aquaculture, which in 2007 brought profits of 46.73 million euros and entailed an ecological risk of 16.5%.
"The introduction can be limited through an appropriate assessment of the risks and also through mitigating measures for the conservation of biodiversity core topic points. However, there is a paradox that will increase in the future: in our Economics is core topic agriculture of non-native species," he concluded.
"Sport fishing and aquaculture are the main reasons for this phenomenon. They are expanding rapidly around the world and will continue to grow in response to the overexploitation of natural fish stocks. To do so, the industry will have to diversify and introduce other new species," the British scientist said.
Rodolphe Gozlan made these statements on the occasion of conference of the department of Zoology and Ecology of the University of Navarra, which addresses the latest advances in the management of invasive freshwater species, such as zebra mussels, catfish or American and signal crabs.
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