Marine vs. freshwater invaders: is shipping the key vector for species introductions to Europe?

Abstract

Species introductions are of concern as many non-indigenous species (NIS) have been shown to have worldwide significant negative impacts on the recipient ecosystems. Prime introduction vectors are the unintentional transport by ships (i.e. ballast water, tank sediment, and hull fouling), intentional species import for aquaculture purposes (i.e. target species and non-target species, such as disease agents or parasites), accidental releases of species cultured in containment and stocking initiatives (Carlton 1985, 1987, Cohen and Carlton 1995, Eno et al. 1997, Reise et al. 1999).