Biography

Presentation

The ornamental aquatic industry as a pathway for IAS

Gordon H. Copp(1&3), Lorenzo Vilizzi(2) and Rodolph E. Gozlan(3)

Like many countries in Europe, England is a country with a long history of non-native species imports, and therefore a good case study for examining how aquatic species have entered the wider environment after having been imported for ornamental purposes. For example, the recorded occurrence of non-native fishes in the wild (in England) has been related to the time since introduction, but the rate at which introduced species has established wild populations decreased in the 1970s.

Using both recent and bibliographic information, we examine the relationships between human population densities, retail outlets selling ornamental aquatic species and the occurrence of ornamental species in the wild. Although some species can be identified as escapees from
ornamental rearing/holding facilities, studies in both Europe and North America suggest that the release of organisms to the wild is by the end user.

Overall, many of the non-natives species currently established in the wild in Europe were imported for ornamental purposes, and for many countries, where the release of non-native species has become illegal, the main pathway for non-native species introductions is by end users of the ornamental trade.

1 Salmon & Freshwater Team, Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT, UK.

2 Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, Mildura 3502, Victoria, Australia.

3 Bournemouth University, School of Conservation Sciences, Dorset House, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset BH12 5BB.