Research Document - 2009/107

Risk Assessment of the Bloody Red Shrimp (Hemimysis anomala) in Canada

By M.A. Koops, J. Gerlofsma, and J. Marty

Abstract

The bloody red shrimp (Hemimysis anomala) is the latest non-native species to be discovered in the Great Lakes. Hemimysis was first identified in the Great Lakes in 2006, though anecdotal evidence suggests it has been present since 2002. A concerted sampling effort in 2007 identified 15 additional sites around lakes Michigan, Erie and Ontario with confirmed presence of Hemimysis. Significant food web impacts have been observed in European ecosystems invaded by Hemimysis. Here we present the results of an ecological risk assessment conducted to evaluate the risk from Hemimysis in Canada. This risk assessment was focused on two geographic areas of Canada; the Great Lakes where Hemimysis has been discovered and inland lakes as previous invertebrate invaders in the Great Lakes have been secondarily transported from the Great Lakes to inland lakes. This assessment concluded that the risk to the Great Lakes was moderate to high, and the risk to inland lakes was also moderate to high due to the high chance that Hemimysis will be unintentionally moved from the Great Lakes to inland lakes.

Complete document (PDF, 122 KB)

Accessibility Notice

This document is available in PDF format. If the document is not accessible to you, please contact the Secretariat to obtain another appropriate format, such as regular print, large print, Braille or audio version.