Public engagement for the detection of the introduced marine species Charybdis japonica in Western Australia

Evaluation of open- and closed-eyed entrances on retention and escape of invasive swimming crabs and associated fauna from pots in their native range

“…Recent swimming crab invasions of the species tested here have required sampling surveys and eradication trials in New Zealand and Western Australia (Biosecurity New Zealand, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 2008;Hourston et al 2015). Several Table 2.…”

“…5), a little less for open-eyed entrance pots than for the closed-eyed ones. Fowler et al 2013Fowler et al , 2011Hourston et al 2015). The soaking times applied during these studies have ranged from a few hours to two days; but a 24 -hour soaking was preferred, which is typical for trapping these crabs commercially (Vazquez Archdale et al 2006b).…”

“…The current study, which involved experimental fishing in their native range, examined the effect on crab catches and the retention of the caught organisms in dome-shaped pots (or 'opera house traps') fitted with two types of entrance, one open and the other closed-eyed, and assessed the possible application to pots used for sampling and eradication in countries suffering from alien crab infestations. The crab species targeted, the shore swimming crab (also called Asian paddle crab) Charybdis japonica, the blue swimming crab Portunus pelagicus and Thalamita spp., are native in Japan, but C. japonica is also invasive in New Zealand and Australia while the others have spread into the Mediterranean sea and they can be used as a model to study and develop better eradication trapping gear and sampling methods (Gust and Inglis 2006;MAF Biosecurity New Zealand technical paper 2008;Hourston et al 2015).…”

Marine pests in paradise: capacity building, awareness raising and preliminary introduced species port survey results in the Republic of Palau

“…The further spread of L. sceleratus to other parts of the Mediterranean has prompted a similar adoption of such strategies by other national and regional authorities, such as the ones in Catalunya (Spain), after the first record of the species in these waters ). The early warning communication strategies promoted within this study build further upon existing methods of participatory action research, such as citizen science, whose importance in detecting new marine arrivals is acknowledged within EU Regulation 1143/2014 (Regulation on Invasive Alien Species) and which has been applied with success in the field in unearthing such new arrivals (Azzurro et al 2013;Crall et al 2010;Delaney et al 2008;Dickinson et al 2010;Hourston et al 2015). Considering the continuous expansion of the distribution range of L. sceleratus to other western Mediterranean regions and the danger that this species may entail for human health, it is strongly recommended that similar early warning initiatives are adopted by all Mediterranean countries in view of the transboundary nature of the issue, ideally under the aegis of the Barcelona Convention.…”

Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Acoustic Habitat of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) within a Highly Urbanized Estuary

“…For example, in the past the Swan River has suffered from toxic algal blooms, nutrient enrichment, anoxia, pollution, introduced and invasive species, coastal flooding, and habitat modification (Rate et al, 2000;Robson and Hamilton, 2003;Morgan et al, 2004;Gosbell and Clemens, 2006;Eliot, 2012;Smale and Childs, 2012;Adolf et al, 2015;Hourston et al, 2015). These stressors were highlighted by the deaths of six dolphins within the river in 2009, which was hypothesized to be the result of a lowered immune system from multiple pressures, such as contaminant exposure and human activities (Holyoake et al, 2010).…”