Terms of Reference

Regional Advisory Process on Green Crab Populations and Mitigations in the Newfoundland and Labrador Region

March 17, 2010
Clovelly Golf Club, St. John's NL

Chairperson: Earl Dawe

Background

Many of the science issues facing Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) are associated with significant knowledge gaps and uncertainties. This, however, does not relieve the Department of the need to make decisions on these issues. Under these conditions, decisions must balance the risks and uncertainties while ensuring the sustainability of Canada’s aquatic ecosystems.  With the potential for Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) to impact species at risk (SAR), biodiversity, aquaculture or fisheries resources, AIS are now considered one of the lead threats to native biodiversity (Sala et al. 2000, Dextrase and Mandrak 2006).

The Green Crab, Carcinus maenas, native to Europe and Africa, has been reported in the Maritimes since the 1950s, but was only reported for the first time in Newfoundland in 2007 (Klassen & Locke 2007).  A highly invasive species, Green crab has yet to be formally assessed for the extent of its distribution, potential impact, or potential for control through various mitigative measures in the Newfoundland environment.

In February 2008 DFO conducted a National risk assessment to determine the potential risk posed by European green crab in Canada (see Therriault et al. 2008). This assessment included evaluating the probability of arrival, survival, reproduction and spread and potential consequences to determine a risk level based on the best available information on their biology, potential vectors of introduction, and impacts in both native and introduced ranges. The assessment concluded that European green crab generally posed a moderate to high risk on both coasts depending on the ecological endpoint assessed. 

Building on the existing National risk assessment, and in recognition of the increasing threat of Green Crab in the Newfoundland Region, a peer review meeting will gather experts on these species to discuss and provide information relevant to Green Crab distribution in Newfoundland, and to explore experiences in Green Crab science and mitigations from other sources and Regions that can contribute to the assessment of Green Crab distribution, potential impacts and potential mitigations for Green Crab populations in Newfoundland.  Conclusions from this process will provide DFO Policy makers and Oceans managers with the information required to refine current licensing policies and to feed into stewardship initiatives and integrated management plans for the NL Region. 

Objectives

• To provide an overview of current scientific knowledge related to Green Crab populations in Newfoundland.
• To assess potential biological impacts of Green Crab populations in Newfoundland on native species and habitats based on current knowledge of Regional life history characteristics and distribution.
• To report on mitigation measures to control Green Crab populations in Canada and assess their effectiveness in Newfoundland.

Outputs

A CSAS Science Advisory Report (SAR) and associated Research document(s) will be produced.  A Proceedings document will record the meeting discussions.

Participants

Participants will include those from within and outside DFO with relevant expertise or experience in the species being discussed or other invasive invertebrates; including other Federal and Provincial government organizations, non-government organizations, academia, industry, stakeholders, and Aboriginal groups.

References

Klassen G, Locke A (2007) A biological synopsis of the European green crab, Carcinus maenas. Canadian Manuscript Report Fisheries Aquatic Sciences 2818, 75pp.

Therriault, T.W.; Herborg, L.M.; Locke, A.; McKindsey, C.W.  2008. Risk assessment for European green crab (Carcinus maenas) in Canadian waters. Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2008/042.