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1	Status of Aquatic Invasive Species in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico Amy J. Benson U.S. Geological Survey Gainesville, Florida
2	No marine organism, once established, has ever been successfully removed or contained. Predation Competition Disturbance Diseases and Parasites
3	The first introductions probably occurred 500 hundred years ago. They were ship hull fouling and wood boring organisms.
4	Likely Sources of Marine Organisms Nonindigenous to Florida Fouling on ships’ hulls Transport in ballast water Arrival with aquaculture packing material Escape from field aquaculture Escape from aquaria
5	Human-Mediated Transport Mechanisms Mariculture (both animals and plants) Fish bait Intentional releases from aquarium hobbyists Human food
6	Types of Organisms Mollusks Crustaceans Fish Algae Sponges, hydroids, flatworms, polychaetes, oligochaetes, bryozoans, amphipods, copepods, shipworms, ascidians (many species occur in Caribbean but some are considered cryptogenic)
7	No nonindigenous marine plants are known to be established in Florida.
8	Fishes: Cromileptes altivelis Panther grouper Coffee Pot Bayou in Tampa Bay 1984 and 1995 South Pacific Probable aquarium release
9	Cromileptes altivelis
10	Fishes: Scatophagus argus Scat Seahorse Key (Gulf of Mexico) 1992 Asia Aquarium release
11	Scatophagus argus
12	Fishes: Dorosoma petenense Threadfin shad Old Tampa Bay 1965 (established) North America (freshwater) Escaped an adjacent stocked lake (forage) Effects unknown
13	Dorosoma petenense
14	No systematic studies have been done on the nonindigenous marine invertebrates of Florida.
15	Mollusks: Perna viridis Green mussel Tampa Bay (+ 3 power plants) August 1999 Asia (cultured for human food) Probable ballast water introduction Sold over the Internet
16	Perna viridis (Green Mussel)
17	Perna viridis have been sold for aquaculture since 1972 Figi French Polynesia New Caledonia Tonga Samoa United States ?
18	Perna viridis
19	Perna viridis, P. sp., P. perna
20	Perna sp.
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26	Perna ranges
27	Future Needs Systematic studies at the community level and species level Genetic and ecological research Research on temporal and spatial patterns of human-mediated dispersal mechanisms Studies on the ecological impacts of nonindigenous marine organisms
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30	Green mussels, Perna viridis, in Tampa Bay
31	Crustaceans Crabs (for commercial fishery) Shrimps – escaped aquaculture Barnacles (?) - ship fouling Isopods (?) - ship fouling as long as one hundred years ago Copepods – (Centropages typicus) ballast water (Carlton and Geller, 1993)
32	Penaeus vannamei Pacific white shrimp Native to the Pacific Ocean Escaped aquaculture facilities in Texas in 1989 Collected by commercial shrimpers
33	Perna viridis (Green mussel) Salinity => 16 ppt to seawater Temperature => 10-35^oC, 26-32^oC Optimal Depth => 10 m Reproduction => Free-swimming larvae for 2-3 weeks. Sexually mature at 2-3 months (~20 mm). Life span ~3 years (80-90 mm). Byssus present.
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