Invasion
Invasion Description
1st record: Kobe (Hyogo Prefecture, Honshu)/Japan/Osaka Bay (1934, Kanamura 1935, cited by Wilkins 1983);
Geographic Extent
Iwakuni, Honshu/Japan/Seto Inland Sea (1988, Suchanek et al. 1997); Hiroshima, Honshu/Japan/Seto Inland Sea (1996, Suchanek et al. 1997); Kobe (Hyogo Prefecture, Honshu)/Japan/Osaka Bay (1934, Kanamura 1935, cited by Wilkins 1983); Honshu/Japan/Tokyo Bay (Kajihara and Oka cited by Wilkins 1983); Yokohama, Honshu/Japan/Tokyo Bay (1992, Suchanek et al. 1997); Maruishi, Honshu/Japan/Seto Inland Sea (Matsumasa et al. 1999)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
| Alternate | Ballast Water |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| The invasion of M. galloprovincialis has reduced native species and altered benthic communities by the development of dense mussel beds. Among species which have been partially replaced are: Crassostrea gigas (Pacific Oyster), Septifer virgatus (a native mussel), Chthamalus challengeri, and the seaweed Sargassum fusiformis (Chavanich et al. 2010). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
| Large beds of M. galloprovincialis have altered benthic communities through the mass deposition of pseudofeces in the sediment, creating hypoxic conditions (Chavanich et al. 2010). | ||
| Economic Impact | Fisheries | |
| The invasion of M. galloprovincialis has interfered with oyster culture, causing a 35% reduction in harvests in Hiroshima Bay, amounting to about 500 million Japanese yen (Chavanich et al. 2010). On the other hand, M. galloprovincialis were cultured in Matoya Bay, Japan (Inoue et al. 1997). Extensive aquaculture of mussels is likely in Japan. | ||
| Economic Impact | Shipping/Boating | |
| Greatly increased ship fouling due to M. galloprovincialis had resulted in a great increase in the use of toxic fouling paints, including TBT, with negative effects on native mollusks (Chavanich et al. 2010). | ||
| Economic Impact | Industry | |
| Mytilus galloprovincialis is considered to be the most expensive fouling organism of power plants in Japanese waters, causing major expenses for damage and cleaning (Iwasaki 2006). | ||