NOAA’s National Sea Grant Aquatic Nuisance Species Program Project Number R/HAB-15; GRANT NUMBER NA06RG0029; ICODE 1300; SUB PROGRAM Coastal Ecosystem Health; SEA GRANT CLASSIFICATION 103; Aquatic Nuisance Species Baseline Port Surveys for Introduced Marine Molluskan, Crustacean and Polychaete Species in the South Atlantic Bight 1 1 1 Alan Power , Marcy Mitchell , Randal Walker , Martin Posey2, Troy Alphin2, & Carolyn Belcher3 1University of Georgia 2University of North Carolina, Wilmington 3University of Georgia Marine Extension Service Department of Biological Sciences Center Marine Extension Service Shellfish Research Laboratory for Marine Science Commercial Fisheries Section 20 Ocean Science Circle 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane 715 Bay Street Savannah GA 31411-1011 Wilmington NC 28409 Brunswick GA 31250-8687 June 2006 1 2 Over two‐thirds of recent, non‐native species introductions in marine and coastal areas are likely due to ship‐borne vectors 1 1 Ruiz, G. M., P. W. Fofonoff, J. T. Carlton, M. J. Wonham, and A. H. Hines. 2000. Invasion of coastal marine communities in North America: apparent patterns, processes, and biases. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 31:481‐531. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Objectives • To conduct an extensive literature review of existing biotic surveys for mollusks, crustaceans and polychaetes in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) region. • To describe the ports of Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, and Wilmington in terms of their history, geology, hydrography, and shipping movements. • To conduct a comprehensive search for molluskan, polychaete, and crustacean species in each port. • To provide baseline information on native biodiversity, and on the presence, distribution, relative abundance, and trophic status of identified nonindigenous molluskan, crustacean and polychaete species. • To identify priority invasive species either present, or with the potential to occur at each location. • To determine differences in community structure, sediment size, and water quality parameters across this geographical region. • To integrate all data with GIS, and to disseminate results to potential end users, including accessible databases to contribute to the national knowledge base of invasive species. Methodology We used an array of field sampling devices (traps, sediment cores, fouling plates, piling scrapings, and trawls), mirroring procedures described for an Australian nationwide port survey for nonindigenous species (Hewitt & Martin, 20012). Each port location was divided into three sampling zones; the immediate port area (port, zone 2), one upstream (upper, zone 3), and one downstream at the mouth of each river (lower, zone 1). Rationale It has been estimated that at least 7,000 different species are being carried in ballast tanks around the world and that roughly 21 billion gallons of foreign ballast water are annually discharged into U.S. waters (Global Ballast Water Management Programme). While commercial ports represent a main entry point for many species introductions, very few have been surveyed to document the nonindigenous flora and fauna present. One region for which information is particularly lacking is the South Atlantic Bight (Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to West Palm Beach, Florida). This region currently has many of the largest and fastest growing container and automotive ports in the nation. Trade growth is predicted to continue, particularly with Asia. Baseline surveys are critical if we are to reduce the risk of aquatic nuisance species being introduced and transferred to and from this region. Our results will be useful in evaluating regional differences in invasion rates and patterns. Information will be shared with the Smithsonian’s National Ballast Water Information Clearinghouse, the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, and the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program, coastal natural resource managers, and the respective port authorities. 2 Hewitt, C.L. and R.B. Martin. 2001. Revised protocols for baseline port surveys for introduced marine species: survey design, sampling protocols and specimen handling. Centre for Research on Introduced Marine Pests. Technical Report No. 22. CSIRO Marine Research, Hobart. 46 pp. 4 Results A total of 221 species were collected, comprising 36 mollusks, 122 crustaceans, and 63 polychaetes. Voucher specimens have been placed in the Georgia Museum of Natural History in Athens (GA) and at the Southeastern Regional Taxonomic Center in Charleston (SC). No new invasive species were detected through our surveys, however five previously identified nonindigenous crustaceans were collected, Balanus trigonus (barnacle), Ligia exotica (isopod), Apocorophium lacustre (amphipod), Balanus amphitrite (barnacle), and Petrolisthes armatus (decapod). The most ubiquitous molluskan species were Brachidontes exustus, Geukensia demissa, Sphenia fragilis, Lolliguncula brevis, Ischadium recurvum, Nassarius obsoletus, Mytilopsis leucophaeata, Amygdalum papyrium, Sphenia sp., and Crassostrea virginica. The most ubiquitous crustacean species were Callinectes sapidus, Litopenaeus setiferus, Panopeus herbstii, Callinectes similis, Farfantepenaeus aztecus, Balanus eburneus, Melita nitida, Balanus juv sp., Palaemonetes vulgaris, Eurypanopeus depressus and Hyale plumulosa. The most ubiquitous polychaete species were Neanthes succinea, Leitoscoloplos fragilis, Genetyllis castanea, Laeonereis culveri, Parandalia americana, Marenzelleria viridis, Polydora ligni (cornuta), Mediomastus californiensis, Nereis falsa, Aricidea suecica, Lepidonotus sublevis, Sabella sp. and Streblospio benedicti. In all locations the zone downstream of the ports returned the most species. The results at Wilmington were far less diverse than those other three ports (Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index of 0.56), with species not very evenly distributed (evenness index of 0.14). Charleston, Savannah, and Jacksonville exhibited higher diversity indices at 2.66, 2.58 and 3.27, respectively. In these ports, species were also distributed more evenly with indices ranging from 0.53 to 0.72. Cluster analysis of port zones based on environmental characteristics (sediment parameters and water quality) divided the locations into two main species groupings consisting of marine (Jacksonville lower, Charleston port and lower), and brackish water zones (Jacksonville and Charleston upper, Savannah, and Jacksonville port, Savannah upper and lower), with the brackish water zones further split with the only freshwater zone (Savannah upper) in a subgrouping of its own. Wilmington was excluded from this analysis due to inconsistencies in sediment data. Bray-Curtis similarity indices for each of the gear types indicated the strongest similarity between the samples collected with crab traps over the entire study region. Overall 13 replicates per sample gear seemed a reasonable number to adequately represent the number of species present in a cost effective manner. If possible, a slight increase to 15 samples for each habitat and gear type is advisable for future port surveys, and we also recommend placing sufficient back-up fouling plates to allow for significant losses. Through outreach activities a public awareness campaign was initiated to alert recreational and commercial water users to report all unusual sightings in Georgia. Due to this effort the presence of the green mussel, Perna viridis was reported in State waters for the first time, representing a range expansion to the Savannah River as its most northerly location in the U.S. Just prior to completing this report a new nonindigenous barnacle species has also been reported in Georgia, possibly Megabalanus coccopoma or M. tintinnabulum. Neither species has been previously reported in the South Atlantic Bight region. This introduction warrants close attention given the potential fouling impacts that could occur. A total of 74 publications were consulted to construct a GIS database detailing 36,502 mapping points for 1,738 species of mollusk, crustacean and polychaete fauna throughout the South Atlantic Bight 5 (SAB) region. The database can be found on the enclosed CD as an ArcView project; or the project is available for download on the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service Shellfish Research Laboratory webpage (www.marex.uga.edu). Through a second literature review, 14 species of nonindigenous freshwater crustacean species and 8 molluskan species were found to have been reported as occurring in the SAB region. More were found for the marine environment, with 31 nonindigenous species representing 19 crustaceans, ten mollusks, and two polychaetes. Therefore our five collected species represent 9.43% of the total nonindigenous species (53) known to be present in the region. Notes on the distribution, life history, and impacts associated with the introduction of all known nonindigenous species are provided. Based on the review, the ranking of introduction vectors from the most common to the least common for all nonindigenous aquatic molluskan, crustacean, and polychaete species in the SAB are: ship fouling; bait release; ballast water and aquaria releases; aquaculture; range extensions; and fish stockings. Sediment was similar throughout the region and predominantly poorly sorted fine to medium sand. Total organic carbon and nitrogen ranged from 0.17 % and 0.02 % in Jacksonville to 2.80 % and 0.09 % in Charleston, respectively. Based on water quality records for a one-year period, water temperatures are similar throughout the region with an annual range as follows