Dan Minchin

• MSc, PhD
• Professor at Klaipėda University

Three 4 mm drift seeds collected from St Finan’s Bay on the south-west coast of Ireland were cultivated to produce climbing plants with cordate to trilobed leaves. The sequence of the Internal Transcribed Spacer region of ribosomal DNA of these plants provided a match for Ipomoea tiliacea (Willd.) Choisy. This plant is native from the Bahamas to so...

Blue mussels Mytilus have returned to the high Arctic region of Svalbard in the beginning of twenty-first century after being absent for almost a 1000 years. Not only M. edulis had arrived in Svalbard, but also a complex of sympatric species including M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis, M. trossulus, and some of their hybrids, which may have a wide ra...

The high Arctic is considered a pristine environment compared with many other regions in the northern hemisphere. It is becoming increasingly vulnerable to invasion by invasive alien species (IAS), however, as climate change leads to rapid loss of sea ice, changes in ocean temperature and salinity, and enhanced human activities. These changes are l...

Early stage of invasion of the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) within the interconnected lakes Lough Ree and Lough Derg of the Shannon River system, Ireland. Aquatic Invasions 18(4): 473-486. https://doi. Abstract Quagga and zebra mussels of the genus Dreissena are two of the most impactful freshwater invasive alien species that hav...

After a millennium, the blue mussels Mytilus have returned to the high Arctic region of Svalbard in the beginning of 21st century. Later it was found that not only M. edulis arrived in Svalbard, but a whole complex of sympatric species including M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis , M. trossulus and their hybrids, which may have a wide range of origins...

The first record of a seed of the Yellow Water Pea Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth. stranded in Northwest Europe was collected along with other trans-Atlantic disseminules from a south-west facing beach in County Kerry, Ireland (v.c.H1) during March 2022.

Coastal and estuarine systems are important areas to study of introduced, non-native biota due to the dynamic environments and steep gradients in physicochemical conditions, biological communities, anthropogenic impacts and pollution. Organisms living in estuaries are adapted to stressful conditions, and newcomers, who usually also have a wide ecol...

Invasive non‐native species (INNS) are recognized as a major threat to island biodiversity, ecosystems, and economies globally. Preventing high‐risk INNS from being introduced is the most cost‐effective way to avoid their adverse impacts. We applied a horizon scanning approach to identify potentially INNS in the United Kingdom Overseas Territories...

Growth and recruitment of the sea star Marthasterias glacialis was followed over six years in Lough Hyne, southwest Ireland. Juveniles from a 2-mm radius were found on algae at <1-2-m depth following what appeared to be gregarious larval settlement. Data from Lough Hyne and Mulroy Bay (northwest Ireland) indicated that algal habitat serves as a nur...

We report the presence of the North American Crangonyx floridanus co-occurring with C. pseudogracilis in two Irish rivers, following surveys in three rivers, eleven lake sites and an ornamental pond in 2020. This is the first record of C. floridanus in Ireland which was previously recorded in Britain in 2017. We predict that this species is likely...

The threat posed by invasive non-native species worldwide requires a global approach to identify which introduced species are likely to pose an elevated risk of impact to native species and ecosystems. To inform policy, stakeholders and management decisions on global threats to aquatic ecosystems, 195 assessors representing 120 risk assessment area...

The thermophilic bivalve Mytilus spp. complex has re-appeared in the high Arctic in Svalbard after a thousand years, with the first recent indication of its appearance in 2002 at the mouth of Isfjorden on the west coast. We examine its genetic affinity to selected North Atlantic populations and the modes of spread that may be responsible for its re...

Although stranded Brazil Nuts Bertholletia excelsa have occasionally been recorded from Irish, NW European, and western North Atlantic maritime shores, they are generally regarded as local refuse. During the early 1990s, four specimens of stranded Brazil Nuts were discovered on Irish maritime shores, and two more in Cornwall, U.K. during 2014. The...

Ireland, being an island situated on Europe’s western seaboard, has a fewer number of native species than mainland European Union Member States (MS). Increased numbers of vectors and pathways have reduced the island’s biotic isolation, increasing the risk of new introductions and their associated impacts on native biodiversity. It is likely that th...

A well-established and dense carpet of Azolla filiculoides was found within an unused cut and harbour in Co. Clare, Lough Derg. It was abundant in 2012 till 2014 and was no longer present in 2016. Using satellite imagery, the occurrence of the population would appear to have been there from 2009, or before, to 2014/2015. It is suspected that the we...

The Antarctic is considered to be a pristine environment relative to other regions of the Earth, but it is increasingly vulnerable to invasions by marine, freshwater and terrestrial non-native species. The Antarctic Peninsula region (APR), which encompasses the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands, is by far the most...

Abstract—The relationships between the hydrochemical and structural characteristics of the macrozoobenthos community, including biotic indices is analyzed in the rivers of the Neman basin in the spring and summer periods. The list of hydrochemical characteristics included pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, the concentration of ions of ammonium and...

The Working Group on the Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) has contributed several major achievements to the ICES vision, including the first ICES Viewpoint on Biofouling and its source document, two Cooperative Research Reports, and numerous pub-lications related to ToRs, and the continued population of the AquaNIS database....

The basket clam genus, Corbicula, commonly known as the Asian clam, has become one of the most internationally high-profile and widespread aquatic invasive species. This genus is now considered to comprise a polymorphic species complex. The international invasion of Corbicula is characterised by four lineages, each fixed for one morphotype, genotyp...

A comparative analysis of two risk assessment (RA) frameworks developed to support the implementation of the international Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) and European Regulation on Invasive Alien Species (IAS) was performed. This analysis revealed both differences and similarities between the IMO Risk Assessment Guidelines (IMO, 2007) a...

The precise number of Okenia taxa inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, as well as their general taxonomy, varies according to different specialists. So far, eight valid species have been reported from the area: Okenia aspersa (Alder & Hancock, 1845), Okenia cupella (Vogel & Schultz, 1970), Okenia elegans (Leuckart, 1828), Okenia hispanica Valdés & Ort...

Dreissenid mussels (including the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and the quagga mussel D. rostriformis) are among the world's most notorious invasive species, with large and widespread ecological and economic effects. However, their long‐term population dynamics are poorly known, even though these dynamics are critical to determining impacts and...

The Gulf wedge clam, common rangia Rangia cuneata, with a native origin in the Gulf of Mexico has spread to north European brackish and freshwaters. This semitropical species is able to survive in conditions of low winter temperatures in boreal environment of the Baltic Sea. Its expansion within lagoons and sheltered bays in the southern and easter...

Climate change and increased anthropogenic activities are expected to elevate the potential of introducing nonindigenous species (NIS) into the Arctic. Yet, the knowledge base needed to identify gaps and priorities for NIS research and management is limited. Here, we reviewed primary introduction events to each ecoregion of the marine Arctic realm...

Dikerogammarus villosus, an amphipod of Ponto-Caspian origin, has recently and rapidly spread along Baltic coastal lagoons and estuaries. By 2016 it had invaded Russian (Kaliningrad region), Lithuanian and Latvian waters, but was not recorded from Estonian waters. This species has a discontinuous distribution suggesting a "jump" was involved in its...

Executive summary 1. The threat posed by escalating numbers of INNS to biodiversity, human health and the economy is a major concern for the UK Overseas Territories (OTs). Indeed it is estimated that there are at least 2,261 non-native species occurring across the OTs (Bermuda has the highest documented occurrences with 1,139 species recorded and t...

The European Union (EU) has recently published its first list of invasive alien species (IAS) of EU concern to which current legislation must apply. The list comprises species known to pose great threats to biodiversity and needs to be maintained and updated. Horizon scanning is seen as critical to identify the most threatening potential IAS that d...

The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea has spread rapidly through western Europe and was first recorded in Ireland in 2010. Since then it has been found within four different river catchments including four localities along Ireland’s largest river, the Shannon. While three of these Shannon occurrences may have been due to introductions with angling equi...

A list of thirty-seven non-indigenous species (NIS) or cryptogens likely to appear on marinas or pontoons were targeted during a ten-day survey in 2012 on the north Irish coast. This included four bryozoan species. The non-targeted cryptogen, Bugulina fulva, was found for the first time in the Republic of Ireland. The bryozoans Bugula neritina and...

The " spaghetti bryozoan " Zoobotryon verticillatum (delle Chiaje, 1822) recently synonymised as Amathia verticillata (delle Chiaje, 1822) was first described from Naples, Italy. This ctenostome also occurred in the Bay of Bengal, east coast of India, where it has been long treated as a native species, due to its long presence in the region. Howeve...

Coastal and regional sea ecosystems suffer from several human-induced stressors, including human mediated bioinvasions. The Baltic Sea is generally considered to be susceptible to invasions by non-indigenous species (NIS). Out of the total of 132 NIS and cryptogenic species recorded, 59% are currently established in at least one country surrounding...

Didemnum vexillum Kott (2002) is a high-impact, globally-invasive, colonial tunicate species that is native to Japan (Lambert, 2009; Stefaniak et al., 2012). It is generally a temperate cold-water organism, and its introduced range currently includes New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and both the west and...

Didemnum vexillum Kott (2002) is a high-impact, globally-invasive, colonial tunicate species that is native to Japan (Lambert, 2009; Stefaniak et al., 2012). It is generally a temperate cold-water organism, and its introduced range currently includes New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and both the west and...

The serpulid polychaete Hydroides sanctaecrucis Krøyer in Mörch, 1863, native to the Caribbean, was found in the Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and this currently represents the most northern record within the western Pacific Ocean. It was found associated with the invasive dreissenid bivalve Mytilopsis sallei (Récluz, 1849), also native to the Caribbe...

The status of the Asian kelp Undaria pinnatifida, was determined using the abundance and distribution range method during a rapid assessment survey. This kelp was first found on the northeast coast of Ireland at Carrickfergus Marina in Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland in 2012. It was not known in Ireland in 2006. U. pinnatifida was one of a set of t...

Coregonus pollan Thompson, 1835 is an Irish endemic whitefish with five known lake populations. Lough Derg has the most downstream population of three lakes in the Shannon catchment. We report on the occurrence of recently hatched larvae from a river section captured above Lough Derg during March 2011. This is the first indication of a downstream m...

Published online subject to final type-setting KEY HEADLINES • Climate change has facilitated the establishment and spread of certain marine non-native species (NNS) in the Northeast Atlantic (e.g., Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas).

Several legal and administrative instruments aimed to reduce the spread of non-indigenous species, that may pose harm to the environment, economy and/or human health, were developed in recent years at international and national levels, such as the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and Sediments, the Int...

The bryozoan Amathia (= Zoobotryon) verticillata was found near the northern entrance to the Port of Kaohsiung in November 2015 and is the first record from Taiwan. This bryozoan can form extensive colonies and is considered to be one of the more invasive nonindigenous species, occurring worldwide from Mediterranean to tropical environments within...

Rapid assessment sampling for target species is a fast cost-effective method aimed at determining the presence, abundance and distribution of alien and native harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens that may have been introduced by shipping. In this study, the method was applied within a large tropical port expected to have a high species diversity...

Leisure-craft mooring lines were surveyed in six berthing areas along the Croatian coast during June 2014. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of non-indigenous species (NIS) on mooring lines known as ‘lazy’ lines. Four NIS were observed during the survey: the tunicate Styela plicata, the serpulid Hydroides elegans and two bryozoa...

The mysid shrimp Mysis salemaai is a key component of many lake food webs, However, despite its strong declines in some systems, information on its life history is rudimental. We explored variation in life history patterns of M. salemaai and how this varies with key environmental gradients at the southern range of its distribution. We found that bo...

In this Collective Article on “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records”, we present additional records of species found in the Mediterranean Sea. These records refer to eight different countries throughout the northern part of the basin, and include 28 species, belonging to five phyla. The findings per country include the following species: Spain: C...

The biological traits of the sixty-eight most widespread multicellular non-indigenous species (MWNIS) in European Seas: Baltic Sea, Western European Margin of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea were examined. Data for nine biological traits was analyzed, and a total of 41 separate categories were used to describe the biological and ecolog...

The Pacific cheilostome bryozoan Celleporaria brunnea (Hincks, 1884), a non-indigenous species already known for the Mediterranean Sea, was recorded in 2013-2014 from nine Italian port localities (Genoa, Santa Margherita Ligure, La Spezia, Leghorn, Viareggio, Olbia, Porto Rotondo, Porto Torres and Castelsardo) in the North-western Mediterranean Sea...

The freshwater hydrozoan Craspedacusta sowerbii was observed for the first time in Ireland at five localities in two separate river catchments (Shannon and Erne) during the summer of 2013. All collected medusae from Lough Derg on the Shannon catchment were female. Analysis of water temperature data for the period 2001–2015 found that water temperat...

The northwest Pacific colonial ascidian Perophora japonica Oka, 1927 was first reported from Ireland in 2012 from Carlingford Marina and with increased frequency by 2014. Colonies were found in three additional marine inlets: Strangford Lough in 2012, Mulroy Bay in 2013, and Clew Bay in 2015. Colonies overgrew marine algae and sessile invertebrates...

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) is a powerful instrument aimed at reducing spread of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOPs). As BWMC is expected to enter into force soon, shipping companies will start seeking exemptions for ballast water management in accordance with BWMC Regulation...

The Pacific cheilostome bryozoan Celleporaria brunnea (Hincks, 1884), a non-indigenous species already known for the Mediterranean Sea, was recorded in 2013-2014 from nine Italian port localities (Genoa, Santa Margherita Ligure, La Spezia, Leghorn, Viareggio, Olbia, Porto Rotondo, Porto Torres and Castelsardo) in the North-western Mediterranean Sea...

1. Both climate warming and biological invasions are prominent drivers of global environmental change and it is important to determine how they interact. However, beyond tolerance and reproductive thresholds, little is known about temperature-dependence of invaders’ performance, particularly in light of competitive attributes of functionally simila...

Using the vas deferens sequence index (VDSI) and relative penis size index (RPSI) in dogwhelks (Nucella lapillus), imposex levels were assessed at 63 sites within 11 sea inlets during 2010/2011 and compared these with levels gathered since 1987. Sterile females (VDS>5.0) were found at 14 of the 63 sites and 47 sites (75%) met the EcoQO (VDSI<2.0)....

The annual number of new species records world-wide has paralleled shipping and is increasing. For example, in ICES member countries a new introduction forming a new population beyond its natural range occurs approximately every 9 weeks. The introduction of non-indigenous species by ships’ ballast water is known since more than 100 years, but it wa...

The Fourth International Symposium on “Alien Species in the Holarctic” was convened September 22–28, 2013, by the Russian Academy of Sciences at the I.D. Papanin Institute for the Biology of Inland Waters (IBIW) on the Volga River in Borok (~355 km north of Moscow). The Organizing Committee spanned five countries (France, People’s Republic of China...

Copy and paste the link to download the paper: http://www.icm.csic.es/scimar/index.php/secId/6/IdArt/4326/ The spaghetti bryozoan Amathia verticillata, formerly known as Zoobotryon verticillatum, was first described in 1822 from Naples, Italy, although this species was already present in 1807 at Cadiz, Spain. This ctenostome has long been consider...

The European Union Regulation (EU) 1143/2014 on invasive alien species (IAS) establishes an EU-wide framework for action to prevent, minimise and mitigate the adverse impacts of IAS on biodiversity and centres around the development of a list of IAS of EU Concern. The initial list of IAS of EU concern will be based on available risk assessments com...

The Suez Canal is one of the most important waterways in the world – during the last year 17,148 ships passed through the Canal – reducing emissions, saving time, and operating costs to shippers. The rapid increase in ship size from the " Post-Suezmax " (> 12,000 TEU) to the latest container vessels (> 19,000 TEU) now requires enlargements of port...

Assessment of the ecological and economic/societal impacts of the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) is one of the primary focus areas of bioinvasion science in terrestrial and aquatic environments, and is considered essential to management. A classification system of NIS, based on the magnitude of their environmental impacts, was recentl...

The North American bivalve mollusc Ensis directus (Conrad, 1843) (Bivalvia, Pharidae) is native to the Northwest Atlantic coasts from southern Labrador to northern Florida (Bousfield, 1960; Theroux and Wigley, 1983; Swennen et al., 1985; Abbott and Morris, 2001; Turgeon et al., 2009; Vierna et al., 2013). This species has been introduced outside it...

''Egypt to build new Suez canal… 'This giant project will be the creation of a new Suez canal parallel to the current channel' said Mohab Mamish, the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, in a televised speech.''-build-new-suez-canal, viewed August 13, 2014). This is ominous news. Expected to double the capacity of the Suez Canal, the expansion is...

Stemming from a recent freshwater invasives conference, Caffrey et al. (2014) identified ’the top 20 issues’ that relate to invasive alien species (IAS) management in Europe. With a view to complement and balance the issues highlighted in their account, we offer six important additions that relate to the marine environment. These are: preventive me...

Invasive alien species, following an arrival, undergo different colonization stages. The full pattern of an invasion is seldom tracked as many studies on invasive processes only take place over a few years. In this study the invasion of the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771), was followed for more than a ten-year period. It developed...

The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea was first recorded from the Barrow River in Ireland in April 2010. There are five separate concentrations known to exist. Four of these were found during 2010 to 2012 within Ireland's largest river, the Shannon. The abundance and polymodal length frequencies indicate that the likely seminal site in Ireland is from...

The Asian kelp Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar 1873 was found for the first time in Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland during 2012 and was probably established in 2013. This currently is the most northern locality in Europe. The recent expansion around Britain is likely to continue with further colonisation in Ireland and extension to Scotland....

Invasive alien species ( IAS ) are considered one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, particularly through their interactions with other drivers of change. Horizon scanning, the systematic examination of future potential threats and opportunities, leading to prioritization of IAS threats is seen as an essential component of IAS management. Our...

Table S1. The highest-risk future alien invasive species in Great Britain (based on their likelihood of arrival, establishment and impact on native biodiversity over the next 10 years) derived from consensus-building among experts. Dreissena bugensis was unanimously considered to be the highest ranking species. The others are ranked equally within...

Table S2. Species ranked as posing a medium risk (ranked equally within 31–93) with respect to likelihood of arriving, establishing and having an impact on native biodiversity in Britain over the next 10 years.

The European Union lacks a comprehensive framework to address the threats posed by the introduction and spread of marine non-indigenous species (NIS). Current efforts are fragmented and suffer substantial gaps in coverage. In this paper we identify and discuss issues relating to the assessment of spatial and temporal patterns of introductions in Eu...

Temporal migrations by aquatic organisms have important implications for fundamental ecosystem processes and community interactions. Mysid crustaceans, key planktivores and fish prey in aquatic food webs, frequently undertake diurnal vertical migrations, but there are limited reports of horizontal movements. Using seasonal and diurnal field surveys...

A rapid assessment method to evaluate the relative impact of zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, was undertaken in a 11.5 km 2 temperate lake within an Irish drumlin landscape. The lake was divided into three assessment units: the north lake, the south lake and a river section situated downstream of the two lake assessment units. Survey work was co...

The biopollution assessment method was used to compare relative impacts of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) across different regions (assessment units) in the Shannon River system, Ireland. The approach involved defining the zebra mussel abundance and distribution range, as well as the impact of this species on communities , habitats, and ec...

The filamentous and euryhaline red alga Bangia atropurpurea (Rhodophyta, Bangiophyceae) is a littleknown member of the Irish aquatic flora. Although a common freshwater species in the northern hemisphere, it seems that the lower Shannon Navigation is one of the principal freshwater localities for the species in Ireland. It was recorded from thirtee...