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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>So we are bad too.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> aliens-l-request@list.auckland.ac.nz [mailto:aliens-l-request@list.auckland.ac.nz] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Shyama Pagad<br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, March 19, 2016 4:23 AM<br><b>To:</b> aliens-l Mailing List <aliens-l@list.auckland.ac.nz><br><b>Subject:</b> [Aliens-L] Re Invasion of the American lobsters: Sweden asks EU for help<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ>Invasion of the American lobsters: Sweden asks EU for help<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ>Swedish environment ministry says Maine lobster could wipe out European species with deadly diseases</span><span lang=EN-NZ style='font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/marktran">Mark Tran</a> Friday 18 March 2016 The Guardian<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>Oversexed, overfed and over here: that, in a nutshell, is what the Swedes think of the American lobster from Maine, New England. It <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/maine-lobster-map-exports-china-europe-price-exploding-2015-8">may be much sought after in restaurants</a> but Sweden does not want the American crustacean to darken EU waters in case it spreads diseases and kills off its smaller cousin. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>The Swedish environment ministry on Friday asked the EU to list the Maine lobster as an invasive species and ban the import of the live creatures. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>While the more cynical may see the Swedish move as disguised protectionism, such concerns are not entirely misplaced. “They pose several potential risks for native species, competing for space and resources, they can interbreed with local species and produce hybrid species, which we don’t know will be viable or not,” said Dr Paul Stebbing of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture science.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>The Swedish environment ministry says more than 30 American lobsters have been found along Sweden’s west coast in recent years and that they can carry diseases and parasites that could spread to the European lobster and result in extremely high mortality.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>British experts say there have been 24 confirmed reports of the American lobster in UK waters in recent decades. They are not believed to be reproducing, although this is possible. Sightings are believed to be as a result of the deliberate release or escape of specimens from captivity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>As for American lobsters in Swedish waters, the environment ministry said: “We have reason to believe that lobsters are put in coastal waters perhaps for later consumption. Some of the American lobsters found by fishermen in the sea outside the west coast of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/sweden">Sweden</a> were still wearing rubber bands round their claws with the exporting company name on the rubber band.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association is jittery at any European ban as the export of lobsters to the EU is worth $134m (£93m) annually.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>“It is an important trade so this is concerning,” said Beth Casoni, executive director of the association, adding that it would mobilise US lawmakers and scientists to refute claims that American lobsters spread disease. “If they found 30 American lobsters over eight years, how is that an invasion,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>Casoni also faulted European residents for releasing American lobsters into the wild: “They are the ones breaking the law. We don’t buy European species and let them free.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>Sweden has approached the EU commission, the EU’s executive body, under the EU’s invasive alien species regulation, which came into force last year. Such species are considered to be one of the major causes of biodiversity loss; its cost to the European economy is estimated to be at least €12bn a year in areas such as health care and animal health costs, crop yield losses, fish stock losses and damage to protected species.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>EU scientists will consider Sweden’s request at the start of next month. Other examples that are already on the list to be adopted in the coming weeks are red swamp crayfish, American grey squirrel and Sosnowski’s hogweed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ>If the EU’s scientific forum approves Sweden’s submission, its inclusion will have to be considered at the invasive alien species committee (comprised of member states representatives) and the World Trade Organisation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN-NZ><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/18/invasion-of-the-american-lobsters-sweden-asks-eu-for-help">http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/18/invasion-of-the-american-lobsters-sweden-asks-eu-for-help</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ style='font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ'>--------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br>Shyama Pagad<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ'><br>Program Officer<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ'>IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ'>University of Auckland, New Zealand<br><br>Tel +64210754381<br>email: <a href="mailto:s.pagad@auckland.ac.nz">s.pagad@auckland.ac.nz</a><br>skype: shyama.pagad<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ'><br><a href="http://www.issg.org/">www.issg.org/</a><br>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>The IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group aims to reduce threats<br>to natural ecosystems and the native species they contain by increasing<br>awareness of the impacts of invasive species; and of ways to prevent<br>their spread and, control or eradicate them.</span><span lang=EN-NZ style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-NZ'><br>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-NZ><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><br />
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