HELCOM list of non-indigenous species
Following the HELCOM Ballast Water Road Map, a list of non-indigenous, cryptogenic and harmful native species in the Baltic Sea has been compiled. The aim of listing the species is to provide some basic background information for further consideration and selection of the species that are of particular relevance in the context of the requirements of the BWM Convention and the related IMO Guidelines. The list is also to serve the information needs of other marine regions.
Such a list has been developed by HELCOM based on the readily available information, including the Baltic Sea Alien Species Database (http://www.corpi.ku.lt/nemo/mainnemo.html), DAISIE, Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe (http://www.europe-aliens.org/index.jsp), Alien Species in Swedish Seas (http://www.frammandearter.se) and NOBANIS, North European and Baltic Network on Invasive Alien Species (http://www.nobanis.org/default.asp).
At this stage the list does not include any native species that have the potential to affect human health or result in substantial ecological or economic impacts when transferred to other regions. However, information on these species is needed according to Guideline G7 (in IMO document MEPC.162(56)).
HELCOM Target species
Regulation A-4 of the BWMC allows certain ships or routes to be exempted from the requirements of ballast water management. However, this requires that a risk assessment according to the G7 Guideline is made. The Guideline outlines three risk assessment methods: environmental matching risk assessment, species’ biogeographical risk assessment and species-specific risk assessment. To facilitate such risk assessments, HELCOM Target species that may impair or damage the environment, human health, property or resources in the Baltic Sea has been developed.
Because not all species in all areas of the world can be evaluated, the HELCOM Target Species list covers as a first step the relevant species from the North Sea region, the Ponto-Caspian region and the North American Great Lakes.
These high risk donor regions are areas with dense maritime traffic to the Baltic Sea and with similar climate and salinity ranges as the Baltic Sea. These regions are also known to have donated alien species in the past. It is widely accepted that species which have invaded one area, are likely to invade other areas too. A simple and efficient way of identifying target species is therefore to concentrate on non-indigenous species in the high risk donor areas.
The Target species list has been developed based on the report by Leppäkoski E. and Gollasch S. “Risk Assessment of Ballast Water Mediated Species Introductions – a Baltic Sea Approach” made in 2006 for HELCOM, and a list of recorded non-indigenous and cryptogenic aquatic species in three regions in question, including western Atlantic estuaries of North America received from the Black Sea Commission, the OSPAR Commission and the Great Lakes Commission.
The lists from the three regions have then been narrowed down to target species by excluding species already present in the Baltic Sea, and to some extent by excluding those that have characteristics that make them unlikely invaders to the Baltic Sea.
Future work on the lists
Target species should be identified by comparing the Baltic Sea species composition with the lists from other regions, considering species characteristics such as:
documented invasion history
high tolerance to abiotic conditions (e.g. salinity and temperature)
pelagic life stages
resistant resting stages
wide range of habitat selection
high rate of reproduction
For the time being the above mentioned characteristics have not yet been fully assessed. The list should therefore be narrowed down further by thoroughly assessing the species characteristics and excluding species that are found unlikely to establish in the Baltic Sea.
The Baltic Sea is considered to be one biogeographic region within the scope of risk assessments according to Guideline G7. However, there might be a need for risk assessments also for intra-Baltic voyages and work on criteria to distinguish between unacceptable high risk scenarios and acceptable low risk scenarios for regional voyages has already been agreed in the Ballast Water Road Map. Therefore, efforts will be made to identify species that occur in one part of the Baltic Sea, isolated from other areas by e.g. salinity gradients, and that might spread to other areas of the Baltic Sea with ships. Those species should eventually be included in the Target species list.
Additionally, the accuracy of the Target species list should be further enhanced by including native species from the high risk donor areas. The list should also be extended to cover other high risk donor areas and in future will be made more comprehensive by reflecting the results of species specific risk assessments.
The Baltic Sea non-indigenous species list and the Target species list will serve as reference lists for risk assessments and, in the future, will be a part of the regional information system agreed to be established by 2010, but in all cases not later than 2013, in the HELCOM Ballast Water Road Map. This information system should be used to exchange information obtained during port surveys and risk assessments, as well as species composition, invasion status, abundance and observed effects on the environment and economy. The system could also be used to exchange information on control measures taken by Contracting Parties and others (ratification of BWMC, guidelines, voluntary measures etc.).
Both lists will continuously be kept up under regular review and updating by HELOM HABITAT, in co-operation with HELCOM MONAS.
Any comments or amendments to the list should be sent to the HELCOM Secretariat Samuli Korpinen (email: samuli.korpinen@helcom.fi).