Status of Introductions of Non-Indigenous marine species to North Atlantic waters and adjacent waters, 1991-2002. (Ten year summary of national reports considered at meetings of the Working Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms

As an intergovernmental organization on marine research that also deals with fisheries, ICES was confronted early on with issues related to the introductions of non-indigenous species, particularly diseases and parasites transferred with live transport of fish and shellfish for relaying, stocking, ranching, and for fresh fish markets. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, a primary concern was the need to assess the risks associated with deliberate transfers of species. As a result, the Working Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) was launched, meeting for the first time in Conwy, Wales, 4 April 1979. Since then, the working group has met almost annually, with its 25th anniversary meeting held in Vancouver, Canada in 2003.

The first status report prepared by WGITMO on introduced species in the North Atlantic and its adjacent waters appeared in 1980. The second report, Status of Introductions of Non-Indigenous Marine Species into North Atlantic Waters 1981–1991, was published as ICES Cooperative Research Report No. 231 in 1999. The present report continues the earlier efforts and summarizes species introductions as reported during WGITMO meetings 1992–2002 (Table F1). The list of participants at the meetings considered here is provided in Annex 1.

The national reports received during the reporting period (Table F2) were considered in detail in the preparation of this report. It should be noted that attendance at WGITMO meetings was not continuous for all ICES member countries. Canada, England and Wales, Ireland, Sweden, and the US delivered national reports to all meetings. Non-ICES member countries such as Australia and Italy also provided comprehensive information on introduced species.
In addition to intentionally imported and/or released organisms, unintentional species introductions were also of concern: Section 1 provides information on disease agents and parasites. Macroalgae and phytoplankton are dealt with in Section 2 and invertebrates in Section 3. Fish are covered in Section 4. Comprehensive annexes provide information of first records of non-indigenous species (Section 3.20; not limited to ICES member countries) and deliberate species introductions as well as live species imports and transfers (Section 4.12). Taxonomic inconsistencies (identical species named differently in national reports from different countries) could not be avoided, and so this report provides taxonomic data as submitted in the individual national reports.