‘Double trouble’: the expansion of the Suez Canal and marine bioinvasions in the Mediterranean Sea

Galil, Bella S.; Boero, Ferdinando; Campbell, Marnie L.; Carlton, James T.; Cook, Elizabeth; Fraschetti, Simonetta; Gollasch, Stephan; Hewitt, Chad L.; Jelmert, Anders; Macpherson, Enrique; Marchini, Agnese; McKenzie, Cynthia H.; Minchin, Dan; Occhipinti‐Ambrogi, Anna; Ojaveer, Henn; Olenin, Sergej; Piraino, Stefano; Ruiz, Gregory M.

doi:10.1007/s10530-014-0778-y

Cited by 182 publications

(142 citation statements)

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“…In the eastern Mediterranean basin, the negative impact of the arrival of Indo-Pacific species is on the increase, and this phenomenon will likely be intensified with the doubling of the Suez Canal (Galil et al, 2015). Consequently, the Mediterranean nations must be made fully aware and international collaboration must be developed between all stakeholders (national and international organisations, governmental and non-governmental organisations, research institutes, etc.)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduced marine macroflora of Lebanon and its distribution on the Levantine coast

et al. 2017

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The marine macroflora introduced into Lebanon was studied through an analysis of historical data and field studies carried out since 1991. A total of 29 introduced species have been listed: 3 Chromobionta, 13 Rhodobionta, 12 Chlorobionta and 1 Streptobionta. Among them, Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla, Spatoglossum variabile and Womersleyella setacea are recorded for the first time from Lebanon. Among them, Asparagopsis taxiformis, C. taxifolia var. distichophylla, Cladophora patentiramea, Codium arabicum, Codium parvulum, Galaxaura rugosa, Halophila stipulacea, Hypnea cornuta, Laurencia cf. chondrioides, Lophocladia lallemandii, Stypopodium schimperi, Ulva lactuca and Womersleyella setacea are potentially invasive species, and several of them already occupy extensive stretches of the Lebanese coast. The distribution of species on the Levantine coast, their dynamics and the current status of their populations are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduced marine macroflora of Lebanon and its distribution on the Levantine coast

et al. 2017

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“…In fact, in the marine realm, it frequently occurs that the higher the species richness is, the more vulnerable the habitat; this may concern point diversity, alpha diversity, gamma diversity and/or epsilon diversity; the reason partly lies in the fact that species-rich habitats are The main vector of introduction of new species into the Mediterranean Sea is the Suez Canal, which was opened in 1869 and connects the Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean Basin. Since then, it has been enlarged and deepened several times, the last such operation having been conducted in 2015 [133,201]. The flow of tropical Red Sea species entering the Mediterranean, the so-called Lessepsian species, was first concentrated within the Levantine Basin, but these species have been steadily spreading westwards and northwards [22,26,56,61,62] The second most important vector is shellfish farming (reared species escaping from the farms and species accompanying shellfish transfers), with warm and cold areas of the North Pacific Ocean as donor regions [59, 63,65,196,212].…”

Section: The Mediterranean: a Hotspot Of Biological Invasionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Biodiversity - Warming vs. Biological Invasions and overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea: Take care, ‘One Train can hide another’

Boudouresque¹

2017

MOJES

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Biodiversity means the variety of life, encompassing levels of complexity from within species to across ecosystems. Biodiversity therefore includes several dimensions: evolutionary scale (genetic, species, higher taxonomic levels and phylogenetic diversity), functional scale, organizational scale (patch, ecosystem, landscape/seascape diversity), spatial scale (from sample to local, regional and global richness) and heterogeneity diversity. Biodiversity can therefore be measured in different and complementary ways, thus involving the use of at least 200 different metrics, which can suggest different and contrasting conclusions. It is worth emphasizing that species richness may be the least appropriate metric, despite its popular acceptance. There is a growing tendency for stakeholders, managers, government officials, environmentalists, scientists, politicians and the media to focus, as concerns threats to biodiversity, on species richness and climate change. However, focusing on climate warming can mask other stressors that, today, and perhaps for decades to come, may have more impact on ecosystems than global warming. In the Mediterranean Sea, the overall impact of Non-Indigenous Species (NISs) and overfishing on species diversity, ecosystem diversity and ecosystem functioning exceeds to a greater or lesser degree the direct impact of warming. Drastically altered functioning patterns, and even new ecosystems are spreading throughout the Mediterranean Sea. This trend is likely to become more pronounced over the next decades. Ecosystem goods and services are also being profoundly altered, generally towards a decline, as illustrated by the overgrazed barren grounds of the eastern basin, which no longer support fisheries, by the impact of the Caulerpa meadows on the scuba diving business and the economic value of the fisheries of the western basin, by the brackish lagoon ecosystems and by the blooms of the introduced comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Black Sea, before the arrival of its predator Beroe ovata. Here, we draw attention to the fact that, at this moment and probably also in the future, the huge flow of NISs and overfishing constitute worrying issues, although largely ignored by stakeholders and political authorities. Take care: Un train peut en cacher un autre (one train can hide another; i.e. one danger may hide other unsuspected dangers), that is to say the impact of warming may contribute to hiding other effects, of at least equal gravity, such as biological invasions and overfishing.

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“…70,71 In British waters, where only a single vector was identified, vessels and aquaculture activities were considered responsible for at least 47% and 30% of NIS introductions, respectively. 8 Where the mode of arrival could have been via more than one vector, then vessels and aquaculture activities were still cited as major vectors along with other modes of transmission.…”

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confidence: 99%

Marine biosecurity: protecting indigenous marine species

Cook¹,

Payne²,

Macleod³

et al. 2016

RRBS

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Nonindigenous species (NIS) are those that have been intentionally or unintentionally introduced outside of their native range as a consequence of human activity. If these species then threaten indigenous species and biodiversity, and/or cause economic damage, they are referred to as "invasive." Biological invasions are not only one of the greatest threats to indigenous marine biodiversity, but they can also cause massive economic and ecological damage. Their presence could also lead to a water body failing to achieve good environmental status under the forthcoming EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. As the rate of invasion to Great Britain and European waters continues to increase, particularly in light of climate change, the emphasis by member states is on prevention rather than on control or eradication an NIS once an invasive NIS has become established. This paper reviews NIS biosecurity planning for the marine environment, including the most current legislative background, pathway identification and highlights the main issues with the current risk assessment processes. The potential impacts of marine NIS, practical biosecurity measures from Great Britain and internationally are also reviewed. The aim of this paper is to draw attention to the challenges associated with preventing the introduction of marine NIS and to highlight the urgent need for concerted action across the EU member states and marine industries to produce robust biosecurity plans to protect indigenous species.

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‘Double trouble’: the expansion of the Suez Canal and marine bioinvasions in the Mediterranean Sea

Cited by 182 publications

References 10 publications

Introduced marine macroflora of Lebanon and its distribution on the Levantine coast

Introduced marine macroflora of Lebanon and its distribution on the Levantine coast

Marine Biodiversity - Warming vs. Biological Invasions and overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea: Take care, ‘One Train can hide another’

Marine biosecurity: protecting indigenous marine species

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