Research Document - 2013/122
Evaluation of Five Freshwater Fish Screening-Level Risk Assessment Protocols and Application to Non-Indigenous Organisms in Trade in Canada
Nicholas E. Mandrak, Crysta Gantz, Lisa A. Jones, David Marson, and Becky Cudmore
Abstract
Identification and prioritization of aquatic non-indigenous species (NIS) in trade that pose a potential risk to Canada's aquatic ecosystems (i.e., screening-level risk assessment (SLRA)) is an integral component of a three-stage biological risk assessment process developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's (DFO) Center of Expertise for Aquatic Risk Assessment (CEARA). DFO has identified fishes in live trade in Canada, but not yet present in Canadian waters, as a priority for screening. There are an estimated 1648 fish species imported to Canada each year through the aquarium, live food, biological supply, and water garden trades. The present document first evaluates the performance of five biological risk assessment tools for predicting establishment and impact of fishes using a validation dataset and then applies a chosen subset of these protocols to a list of freshwater fishes in live trade in Canada identified as having an environmental match (i.e., habitat and climate) to Canada. The five SLRA protocols identified from previous initiatives included: Freshwater Fish Invasiveness Scoring Kit Protocol (FISK); Modified Alberta Risk Assessment Tool (RAT); Montreal RAT; Great Lakes Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS); and, Notre Dame Statistical RAT. Following evaluation, two questionnaire-based SLRA protocols (Montreal RAT and GLANSIS) and one statistically-based protocol (Notre Dame Statistical RAT) were selected. These three protocols were subsequently applied to the 12 freshwater fishes in live trade that were identified to have an environmental match to Canada. This produced a scientifically defensible species list that allows for better prioritization of national and regional NIS program activities and resource allocation.
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