Foreign crabs and mussels on list of most dangerous

by Media Services on 13 Feb 2012 The federal government has drawn up a list of 56 marine pests and is considering new national regulations to lessen the risk of foreign vessels carrying these creatures that pose such a serious environmental threat to our native species.

Among the imported species are lady crab or Asian paddle crab; acorn barnacle; colonial sea squirt; black striped mussel; and European zebra mussel.

Under proposed new national regulations, vessels deemed high risk would be subject to inspections by biosecurity officers from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

The department’s spokesperson, Jenny Cupit said the introduction of these species would have a 'devastating effect' on Australia's marine environment and seafood industry.

Two marine pests that have already caused severe damage are Japanese seaweed, which forms dense forests and overgrows native species, and the northern Pacific seastar, an aggressive predator that feeds on mussels, scallops and crabs.

According to the department, the northern Pacific seastar has ravaged the Tasmanian scallop industry. The seastar has since established itself in Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, something Ms Cupit says is a concern for the rest of Australia.

'Once a species becomes established in a high traffic port, there is a strong probability that domestic vessels will be colonised by pest species and translocated to more locations across Australia.'

The International Maritime Organisation is considering implementing marine pest regulations on a global scale. Australia is encouraging voluntary guidelines to stop the toxic tourists from entering, however if these are not enough, the government will introduce national legislation.