Black Striped Mussel - Marine Pest
The Department of Fisheries is asking commercial and recreational boat owners who have visited the Port of Darwin since 1 October 1998 to contact the agency immediately.
The Department of Fisheries is concerned about the potential spread of a marine pest Mytilopsis (or Congeria) sp., a Black Striped Mussel.
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| Marine pest - Black Striped Mussel (close up view) |
This marine mussel has recently been discovered in three loched marinas within The Port of Darwin - Cullen Bay Marina, Tipperary Waters Marina and the Frances Mooring Basin (also known as the ‘duck pond'). These three infected marinas and the vessels within them have been quarantined and treated with chlorine or copper sulphate.
This marine mussel is believed to have been introduced into Northern Territory waters on the hulls of commercial or recreational vessels sometime after September 1998. This is the first known incursion into Australian tropical waters of a marine species that warrants classification as a potentially serious pest.
The Black Striped Mussel is a problem in many foreign ports. It originated from central Southern America, but has since established itself in Fiji, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and some other South East Asian countries. In India the mussel is a major pest where it fouls ships' hulls, including water inlet and outlet pipes, as well as all other hard substrates in the harbours.
If this marine mussel reaches WA waters, it could have serious consequences for our natural marine environment and all marine based industries.
The Black Striped Mussel can grow rapidly and reproduce very quickly - productivity can reach 100kg/m2/yr. It is capable of growing to 8 - 10 mm within one month of spat settlement and is mature and capable of spawning at this size/age. Maximum length of this mussel is around 28mm.
The mussel has a life cycle of approximately 21 months and is capable of spawning every 28 days.
The shell of the Black Striped Mussel is transparent, smooth and pale, sometimes with zigzag or longitudinal stripes, and is otherwise grey in colour. Unlike the common Blue Mussel the interior of the Black Striped Mussel is transparent and does not have a pearly layer. The left shell of the marine mussel is slightly larger and overlaps the right shell.
The Black Striped Mussel is commonly found below the waterline in crevices and vertical surfaces, although it can occur on surfaces of all orientations. It appears to be adapted to survival and reproduction over a wide range of salinities, but prefers still, brackish water.
The mussel can survive water temperatures as low as 10 oC and therefore has the potential to impact on all Australian waters. However, it is envisaged that the spread would be generally restricted to warmer tropical and subtropical waters.
Due to the suitability of Australian waters as a habitat for the Black Striped Mussel, it is likely to impact heavily on fishing vessels, aquaculture and marine industries, through the fouling of structures such as anchors, pylons, buoys, pearl panels and intake and outlet pipes. These structures will require additional anti-fouling procedures that can be costly and time consuming.
The mussel could be a significant competitor with native marine species, smothering oysters and competing for space with benthic organisms. Commercial spat collecting devices could become colonised by the mussel, thereby reducing their efficiency at collecting the target species. Again, this will result in increased costs to industry.
While the mussel is confined to marinas which can be isolated from open waters, treatment and eradication procedures have a good chance of being successful. However, once established in open ocean environments, eradication will be almost impossible.
The Department of Fisheries has joined the National Black Striped Mussel Taskforce and will be cooperating with the Northern Territory, State and Commonwealth agencies to track down and inspect vessels which have visited the three infected areas of the Port of Darwin.
The Department of Fisheries will be working to stop the movement of pearl spat into Western Australia from the Northern Territory until further notice. The agency will also contribute to the development of a national protocol for the treatment of potentially infected vessels and anchorages.
This species is a serious threat to Australia's marine environment and our aquaculture and marine industries. It is in all our interests to take what measures we can to assist in preventing and, if necessary, eliminating the Black Striped Mussel from WA waters. Therefore, the Department of Fisheries is requesting your cooperation and assistance to safeguard our State.
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