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Introduced Marine Pests
Overview
Northern Pacific seastar (Asterias amurensis)
photo: Rupert Summerson, BRS
Introduced Marine Pests are marine animals and plants that are accidentally brought to Australia on the hulls of boats and ships and in ships' ballast water. These organisms have the potential to do great harm to our marine ecosystems and to marine industries. The northern Pacific seastar (Asterias amurensis), for example, was first discovered in the Derwent Estuary near Hobart in 1986. Since then it has spread to Port Phillip Bay and recently to Inverloch in Victoria. Asterias is a voracious predator which threatens biodiversity and shellfish aquaculture in south-eastern Tasmania and Port Phillip Bay.
The National System for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pest Incursions was agreed to by all Australian governments in late 2003 with the aim of preventing further pest incursions and to manage and control those already present in Australia. BRS is collaborating with other researchers, government departments and industry to support implementation of the National System, by providing spatial analyses, mapping services, and advanced statistical modelling and risk assessment techniques.
BRS Outputs
Reports
- Assessment of options for the Ballast Water Decision Support System
- Data Infrastructure for the National System for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pest Incursions
- Domestic vessel movements and the spread of marine pests- risks and management approaches
- Marine Pest Mapping and Information System (MaPMi)
Sample of Maps and Resources from The Marine Pest Project
Screen shot of the MaMPi online mapping system
Figure 1: Schematic representation of secondary invasion process. It should be noted that not all primary invasions occur in ports; there have been instances of marine pests being introduced into Australian marinas on the hulls of international cruising yachts. (Sample from the report: "Domestic vessel movements and the spread of marine pests")
Figure 20: The number of vessels in each sector, displayed on a logarithmic scale. Each sector is displayed in the colour corresponding to the domain it belongs to, ie industry, government or community. (Sample from the report: "Domestic vessel movements and the spread of marine pests")
Contacts
- Email: Fisheries Marine