Aquaculture is a vector for the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS), but is also one of the economic sectors that suffers most from the negative impacts caused by biological invasions. This work was developed in Lagoa de Albufeira, a semi-enclosed coastal lagoon located on the southwest coast of Portugal. Traditional small-scale mussel aquaculture has been practiced in the lagoon since 1980 but in 2017 the aquaculture producers reported high production losses, associated with the arrival of invasive species, namely Styela plicata and Ciona robusta. Seasonal sampling surveys were conducted to assess the % cover of fouling communities on mussel rafts in 2019-2021 and in 2025. Of the 120 species identified, 25% were NIS, with tunicates and bivalves with a higher number of NIS. The results of a PCO ordination and PERMANOVA tests showed that the fouling communities changed between years and seasons, but also between mussel rafts in productive activity and others inactive, in which there was no replacement of mussel seeds or cleaning of the fouling communities. A major change was the arrival of Didemnum vexillum in 2020. This study showed that the translocation of shellfish might be the transport vehicle for NIS, which cause damage to aquaculture production.
D'Amore, A., Scirocco, T., Specchiulli, A., Carvalho, F., Afonso, I., Cabral, S., et al. (2025). Aquaculture under stress: the arrival and expansion of invasive tunicates in a coastal lagoon mussel production area.
Aquaculture under stress: the arrival and expansion of invasive tunicates in a coastal lagoon mussel production area
Antonella D'Amore;
2025
Abstract
Aquaculture is a vector for the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS), but is also one of the economic sectors that suffers most from the negative impacts caused by biological invasions. This work was developed in Lagoa de Albufeira, a semi-enclosed coastal lagoon located on the southwest coast of Portugal. Traditional small-scale mussel aquaculture has been practiced in the lagoon since 1980 but in 2017 the aquaculture producers reported high production losses, associated with the arrival of invasive species, namely Styela plicata and Ciona robusta. Seasonal sampling surveys were conducted to assess the % cover of fouling communities on mussel rafts in 2019-2021 and in 2025. Of the 120 species identified, 25% were NIS, with tunicates and bivalves with a higher number of NIS. The results of a PCO ordination and PERMANOVA tests showed that the fouling communities changed between years and seasons, but also between mussel rafts in productive activity and others inactive, in which there was no replacement of mussel seeds or cleaning of the fouling communities. A major change was the arrival of Didemnum vexillum in 2020. This study showed that the translocation of shellfish might be the transport vehicle for NIS, which cause damage to aquaculture production.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
