Time: December 1-5, 1998
Place: Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
Chair: Prof. Erkki Leppäkoski, Åbo Akademi, Turku, Finland
Convener: Dr. Sergej Olenin, Klaipeda University, Klaipeda, Lithuania
Local organizers: PhD Vadim Panov and PhD Irena Telesh, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences
Sponsored by the Nordic Academy for Advanced Study (NorFA), Baltic Marine Biologists Working Group 30 Non-indigenous Estuarine and Marine Organisms and Russian Hydrobiological Society
General information
Biological invasions by aquatic alien species can cause disastrous ecological consequences and severe economic losses. This phenomena is considered to be one of the global change processes and is gaining increased concern all other the world. The recent examples are invasions of the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha in the Great Lakes of North America which is estimated to have cost 5 billion US dollars by the year 2000, a comb-jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi which caused the collapse of anchovy fisheries in the Black Sea; invasion of a sea star Asterias amurensis and increasing of toxic algal blooms caused by alien phytoplankton which cost the Australian shipping, mariculture and fishing industries millions of dollars annually.
According to the U.S. Campaign against Non-Native Invasive Species (Sept. 97 at http://jaguar.arw.r9.fws.gov/Campaign.htmll) it is obvious that: - rate of introductions, at least of aquatics, continues to increase - once established, infestations can spread explosively (e.g., zebra mussels) - increasing invasion of alien species into brackish-water seas has the potential for worldwide biological homogenisation and impoverishment - from this point of view the Baltic and Black Seas (interconnected by both ship routes and intracontinental canals) are especially vulnerable - the breakdown of biogeographical realms threatens the long term sustainability of brackish-water and coastal ecosystems and options for long-term economic development - aquatic invasions spread have largely been unseen -"out-of-sight, out-of-mind." - not all possible introductions have occurred yet - new pathways constantly being created as international travel and world trade expand.
Threats and risks associated to intentional and/or unintentional introduction of non- native species can be summarized as follows: Environment - changes in resource competition (food, space spawning areas) - changes in habitat (chemical, physical and biological) - limitation of resources (lack of oxygen) - introduction of new functional groups can cause changes in the trophic web - uncontrolled dispersal through unexpected ecophysiological behavior - introduction of potentially toxin producing species (harmful algal blooms) - introduction of new disease agents or parasites (viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites) associated with an introduced host species. - genetic effects on native species (hybridization, change in gene pool) - extinctions or drastic reduction of the populations size of native species (also an economical impact, if the threatened native species was/is a target species for e.g. the fishing industry)
Economy - effects on underwater constructions by fouling species (water intakes, boats), expensive cleaning procedures and the application of preventing measures (antifouling paint) needed - tourism (mass accumulation on shores causing smell or sharp shells) - loss in commercial or recreation fishing harvest, if the introduced species will affect target species - losses in harvest of aquaculture - species may damage "underwater heritage objects" as e.g. old sunken sailing vessels from the last century. Recently the shipworm Teredo navalis spread further eastwards in the Baltic threatening sunken sailing vessels off the German island Ruegen
In the Baltic Sea, the hot spots can be easily identified which are more open to introductions of non-native organisms: (1) coastal lagoons, (2) Gulf of Gdansk, Gulf of Riga, and the inner parts of the Gulf of Finland, (3) harbor areas and coastal waters disturbed by man's activities, e.g., pollution and eutrophication. It has become obvious that a number of non-native species now living in the Baltic Sea and its coastal inlets originate from (1) the all-union introductions performed in the 50's and 60's into the lakes in NW Soviet Union, (2) unintentional introduction via the canal system connecting most of the major rivers in eastern Europe, and (3) introductions via ballast water from brackish-water seas from e.g. the Black Sea.
Both the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea are connected with each other by rivers and manmade canals. Species introductions by shipping have resulted in major changes of coastal habitats in both seas. As an example, the inner parts of the Gulf of Finland have been infested by five new alien species during the last six years. Four out of these species are of eastern (Ponto-Caspian) origin, the fifth one from N America. More than 25 non-indigenous species are known from the Black Sea, including the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi which has caused severe economical losses in the fishing industry and large-scale changes, both structural and functional, in the pelagic ecosystem. Several of the alien species presently living in the Black Sea can be regarded as potential invaders into the Baltic Sea. Therefore, a closer cooperation within research and training between the Baltic and Black Sea areas is a necessity.
The workshop
1.Target and output.
The main goal of the Workshop (and planned research course in 2000) will be to increase the insight into the ecology and biogeography of and risks associated to introductions to the Baltic Sea by: - creating an information system (database) on alien (introduced) species, their distribution as well as threats they pose to human health, environment and economy in the Baltic Sea area (ongoing activity, partly sponsored by the HELCOM and the Nordic Council of Ministers) - elaborating measures for early detection of alien species, schemes for updating the database and fast dissemination of information - improving existing measures and developing new methods to control the spread and minimise the impacts of introduced aquatic species
2. Objectives of the Workshop (1998) and planned research course (2000).
There is an obvious need to develop tools for earlier warning, better prediction, and more effective assessment of risks and costs of aquatic alien species introduced to the Baltic Sea. Measures to control the spread and minimise the impacts of harmful alien species should also be developed and implemented. The first step towards achieving these objectives is development of a Database on Alien Species in the Baltic Sea area in order to understand and evaluate the scope of the problem. The second step is development of cost-effective monitoring programs for early detection of these species in high-risk areas as well as careful evaluating the environmental and economic threats posed by known introductions. The third step is assessment of the effectiveness of existing and developing new practical control measures, elaboration of recommendations.
Scientific knowledge plays a central role within all of these objectives. Disciplines involved are: - aquatic (marine and fresh-water) ecology - taxonomy (practically all groups of organisms, from bacteria to fish, birds and mammals are involved in the global "trade" of non-native species) - biogeography (introductions are more expectable between areas with similar environmental conditions world-wide) - risk assessment.
The Workshop covers three issues:
- State of the art. Joint reporting of ongoing scientific and administrative efforts in the Baltic and Black Sea areas, including training and capacity building, with special emphasis on the biogeographical aspects (vectors and mechanisms of introduction; adaptation strategies of different groups of alien species).
- Development of monitoring program for early detection of alien species in both seas to which a Nordic-Baltic-NW Russian network of individual scientists and research students can be expected to contribute.
- Planning of a Nordic-Baltic-NW Russian research course to be held in 2000.
The Workshop programme consists of team-work on selected key species including the ecology of ballast water, risk assessment of alien species, interactions between invasive species and native ones, and technical solutions for handling ballast water. The second topic will be planning of the Research Course to be held in the St Petersburg area in 2000, its organization and contents (deadline for application to NorFa tentatively 1st of May, 1999).
Workshop schedule
Tuesday, December 1 - arrivals of participants
Wednesday, December 2 - plenary presentations and discussions
10:00-13.00 Topic 1: International Activity in the Field of Aquatic Invasive Species (Chairman Erkki Leppäkoski, Rapporteur Irena Telesh)
10:00-10:10 - Greeting remarks by Alexander Alimov, Director of the Zoological Institute RAS
10:10-10:20 - Opening remarks by Erkki Leppäkoski
10:20-10:50 - BMB/HELCOM activities by Sergej Olenin
10:50-11:10 - EU Concerted Action on Ballast waters + EXPO 98 activities by Stephan Gollasch
11:10-11:25 Coffee
11:25-11:50 - World Ecology Congress in Florence by Erkki Leppäkoski
11:50-12:10 - SIL98 Congress in Ireland by Vadim Panov
12:10-12:45 - Alien Species Studies in the Black Sea area by Nickolai Shadrin
12:45-13:00 - Information on activity of the Special Inspection for Sea Protection and on ship traffic from the Ponto-Caspian area by Elena Emelkina
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-18:00 Topic 2: Information systems and databases, monitoring of alien species (Chairman Sergej Olenin, Rapporteur Vadim Panov)
14:00-14:30 - BMB WG NEMO database: current state and perspectives by Sergej Olenin
14:30-15:00 - "INVADER" - developing GIS software for the monitoring of aquatic invasive species by Vadim Panov and Andrei Lobanov
15:00-16:00 - Guided excursion to the Zoological Museum
16:00-16:15 Coffee
16:15-16:30 - Ponto-Caspian ostracods as an example of creeping environmental invaders in the Baltic Sea: importance of preadaptation by Nickolai Aladin
16:30-17:30 - presentations by Sanna Sopanen, Ari Laine, Vadim Jermakov, Elena Ezhova
17:30-18:00 - discussion on databases and monitoring of alien species Thursday, December 3 - plenary presentations and discussions
10:00-13.00 Topic 3: Risk assessments and consequences of alien species introductions: case studies (Chairman Irena Telesh, Rapporteur Erkki Leppäkoski)
10:00-10:30 - Nordic Council Risk assessment project by Erkki Leppäkoski
10:30-10:50 - Studies of Aquatic Invasive Species in the Gulf of Finland: advances and perspectives by Vadim Panov
10:50-11:00 - On the role of warm industrial waters in acclimatization of invaders: the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant example by Vladislav Khlebovich
11:00-11:15 Coffee
11:15-11:45 - Dreissena research in inland lakes by Alexander Karataev
11:45-12:15 - Dreissena research in Caspian Sea and Gulf of Finland by Marina Orlova
12:15-12:30 - Osmoregulation capacity of Cercopagidae: importance for the problem of invasion by Nickolai Aladin
12:30-13:00 - presentation by Henn Ojaveer, discussion
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-18:00 Topic 4: Biology and treatment of ballast waters (Chairman Stephan Gollasch, Rapporteur Sergej Olenin)
14:00-15:00 - Advances in biology and treatment of ballast waters by Stephan Gollasch
15:00-15:30 - Ballast water sampling program onboard a Russian Navy vessel by Sergej Olenin
15:30-15:45 Coffee
15:45-16:30 - Sture and Mongstad ballast water projects by Helge Botnen
16:30-18:00 - Discussion on ballast waters issues
Friday, December 4
10:00-12.00 - General discussion (Chairman & Rapporteur Sergej Olenin) Toward creation of international information exchange network Future International Projects
12:00-13:00 - Planning of the Research Course to be held in the St. Petersburg area in 2000) (Chairman & Rapporteur Erkki Leppäkoski)
13:00-14:30 Lunch
15:00-16:30 - Guided excursion to the Hermitage
Saturday, December 5
10:00-16:00 Risk assessment of marine alien species in the Nordic area: discussion and editing of the main project report (Stephan Gollasch and Erkki Leppäkoski) and the harbor profiles for Bergen (Norway, Helge Botnen), Klaipeda (Lithuania, Sergej Olenin), Turku (Finland, Erkki Leppäkoski), and St.Petersburg (Russia, Vadim Panov and Irena Telesh).
List of participants
- Leppäkoski, Erkki (Chairman) (Abo Academy, Turku, Finland, e-mail: eleppakoski@abo.fi )
- Olenin, Sergej (Convener) (Klaipeda University, Klaipeda, Lithuania, e-mail: olenin@samc.ku.lt)
- Gollasch, Stephan (Invited expert) (Institut fur Meereskunde, Kiel, Germany, e-mail: sgollasch@aol.com )
- Shadrin, Nickolai (Invited expert) (Institute of Southern Seas Biology, Sebastopol, Ukraine, e-mail: lib@ibss.iuf.net)
- Karataev, Alexander (Invited expert) (Belarussian State University, Belarussia, e-mail: karataev@geo.bsu.unibel.by)
- Botnen, Helge (UNIFOB, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway, e-mail: botnen@ifm.uib.no)
- Laine, Ari (Finnish Institute of Marine Research, Helsinki, Finland, e-mail: ari.laine@fimr.fi )
- Sopanen, Sanna (Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, Finland, e-mail: sanna.sopanen@vyh.fi )
- Ojaveer, Henn (Estonian Marine Institute, Tallinn, Estonia, e-mail: maria@phys.sea.ee )
- Jermakov, Vadim (Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Salaspils, Latvia, e-mail: hydro@latnet.lv )
- Ezhova, Elena (Institute of Oceanography, Kaliningrad, Russia, e-mail: lena@ioran.kern.ru )
- Panov, Vadim (local organizer) (Zoological Institute RAS, St.Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: panov@mbold.usr.pu.ru )
- Telesh, Irena (local organizer) (Zoological Institute RAS, St.Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: tiv@zisp.spb.su )
- Orlova, Marina (Zoological Institute RAS, St.Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: omi@zisp.spb.su )
- Aladin, Nickolai (Zoological Institute RAS, St.Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: anv@zisp.spb.su )
- Khlebovich, Vladislav (Zoological Institute RAS, St.Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: kvv@haline.zin.ras.spb.ru)
- Lobanov, Andrei (Zoological Institute RAS, St.Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: lal@zisp.spb.su )
- Litvinchuk, Larisa (Zoological Institute RAS, St.Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: panov@mbold.usr.pu.ru )
- Emelkina, Elena (Special Inspection for Sea Protection, St.Petersburg, Russia e-mail: morin@admiral.ru )
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