Biological Invasions in The White Sea

Abstract

The Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis penetrated West European rivers early in the 20th century. It has recently been caught in the White Sea (Northern Dvina River estuary). In 1957 the transportation of eggs of the Pacific pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, from the Far East to the White Sea, began. As a result of a successful acclimatisation, the catches of pink salmon in the White Sea now add up to some hundred tons per year. The steelhead Parasalmo mykiss, native to the northern Pacific Ocean, has become one of the most important species of aquaculture in the White and Barents Seas. Natural populations of steelhead, registered in the Barents Sea, have not been found in the White Sea area yet.