Colonisation of the Rhine basin by non-native gobiids: an update of the situation in France

Abstract

Key-words:Proterorhinus semilunaris, Neogobius melanostomus, Ponticola kessleri, invasive species, Rhine basin Three of the four species of non-native gobiids currently reported in the Rhine basin were recently recorded in France: the Western tubenose goby in 2007, the bighead goby in 2010 and the round goby in 2011. The bighead goby and the round goby displayed a very high rate of range expansion, suggesting a human-assisted colonisation through inland navigation. An assessment of the invasiveness potential by the FISK (Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit) reveals a medium risk for the Western tubenose goby, while the bighead goby and the round goby are at high risk of becoming invasive in France. This assessment is consistent with our observations since there has been a steady increase in the range of the Western tubenose goby, although in low numbers, while the relative abundance of bighead goby and round goby, recently arrived in the French part of the Rhine River and Moselle River, can be high. Given their fast expansion, it can be assumed that these species will soon reach other French basins, particularly in the south (Rhône basin) and in the west (Seine basin), and the implementation of measures to limit their spread should be considered. RÉSUMÉColonisation du bassin du Rhin par les gobiidés non natifs : actualisation de la situation en France Mots-clés : Proterorhinus semilunaris, Neogobius melanostomus, Ponticola kessleri, espèces invasives, bassin du RhinTrois des quatre espèces de gobiidés non natifs actuellement signalées dans le bassin du Rhin ont atteint sa partie française : le gobie demi-lune en 2007, le gobie de Kessler en 2010 et le gobie à tache noire en 2011. Le gobie de Kessler et le gobie à tache noire ont fait preuve d'une vitesse de colonisation très rapide suggérant une migration facilitée par la navigation. L'évaluation du potentiel invasif par la méthode FISK (Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit) révèle un risque moyen pour le gobie demi-lune tandis que le gobie de Kessler et le gobie à tache noire présentent un risque élevé de devenir envahissants en France. Cette évaluation est conforme à nos observations d'une progression constante de l'aire de répartition du gobie demi-lune, bien qu'en faible effectif, tandis que les abondances relatives du gobie de Kessler et du gobie à tache noire, arrivés récemment dans la partie française du Rhin et de la Moselle, peuvent être importantes. Compte tenu de leur rapide progression, on peut supposer que ces espèces coloniseront à court terme d'autres bassins français, en particulier en direction du sud (bassin du Rhône) et de l'ouest (bassin de la Seine) et la mise en place de mesures destinées à en limiter la propagation devrait donc être envisagée.

Risk screening of non‐native freshwater fishes in Croatia and Slovenia using the Fish Invasiveness Screening Kit

“…; Manné et al . ), with self‐sustaining populations recently established in the Croatian part of the Danube basin and further spread upstream also reported (Jakovlić et al . ).…”

Assessing the ecological impacts of invasive species based on their functional responses and abundances

“…Abundances were estimated from surveys and the literature. We chose the high-impact invasive round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, a Ponto-Caspian fish which has invaded freshwaters in Europe (Manné et al 2013) and N. America (Jude et al 1992), leading to drastic declines in native aquatic invertebrates and fish (Barton et al 2005;Pagnucco and Ricciardi 2015). We first experimentally derived the functional responses of N. melanostomus and a native trophic analogue, the European bullhead Cottus gobio, towards two benthic macroinverebrates, the amphipod Echinogammarus berilloni and the isopod Asellus aquaticus.…”

Alien Fish Species in France with Emphasis on the Recent Invasion of Gobies

“…The aim of the present chapter is first to reassess the knowledge acquired on alien fish species in France in the past years, and second to focus on the recent invasions of gobies in the northeast of the country [35] to dissect possible factors enhancing successful invasion.…”

“…The we focused on the round goby that reach locally high densities in many locations of the Upper Rhine and the Moselle River [35,68]. This species has begun to spread in the 1990s [69].…”

“…This species has begun to spread in the 1990s [69]. [35,70]. Five years after its first observation, the round goby represented in several locations along the Upper Rhine more than 80% of the total catch by electrofishing (100 fishing points).…”