Recreational angling as a pathway for invasive non-native species spread: awareness of biosecurity and the risk of long distance movement into Great Britain

E R C Smith,C D Sayer,H Bennion,M Owen,D C Aldridge

doi:10.1007/s10530-019-02169-5

E R C Smith, C D Sayer + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02169-5

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Journal: Biological Invasions	Publication Date: Jan 9, 2020
Citations: 27	License type: open-access

Affiliation: University College London

Abstract

Identifying and establishing the relative importance of different anthropogenic pathways of invasive non-native species (INNS) introduction is critical for effective management of their establishment and spread in the long-term. Angling has been identified as one of these pathways. An online survey of 680 British anglers was conducted to establish patterns of movement by British anglers abroad, and to establish their awareness and use of biosecurity practices. The survey revealed that 44% of British anglers travelled abroad for fishing, visiting 72 different countries. France was the most frequently visited country, accounting for one-third of all trips abroad. The estimated time taken to travel from Western Europe into Great Britain (GB) is within the time frame that INNS have been shown to survive on damp angling equipment. Without biosecurity, it is therefore highly likely that INNS could be unintentionally transported into GB on damp angling gear. Since the launch of the Check, Clean Dry biosecurity campaign in GB in 2011, the number of anglers cleaning their equipment after every trip has increased by 15%, and 80% of anglers now undertake some form of biosecurity. However, a significant proportion of the angling population is still not implementing sufficient, or the correct biosecurity measures to minimize the risk of INNS dispersal on damp angling equipment. With the increase in movement of anglers abroad for fishing, further work is required to establish the potential for INNS introduction through this pathway.

Highlights

Identifying and establishing the relative importance of different anthropogenic pathways of invasive non-native species (INNS) introduction is critical for effective management of their establishment and spread in the long-term
Following the launch of the EU Regulation (1143/2014) in 2015, EU Member States are obliged to investigate potential anthropogenic pathways of INNS introduction and create pathway action plans (PAPs) for INNS pathways identified as being a risk (Caffrey et al 2014; Beninde et al 2014)
This study represents the first attempt at quantifying the importance of angling as an international pathway, providing estimates of the volume of British anglers travelling to Europe for recreational fishing as well as valuable insights into changes in anglers’ behaviour since the launch of the invasive species-specific CCD campaign

Summary

Introduction

Identifying and establishing the relative importance of different anthropogenic pathways of invasive non-native species (INNS) introduction is critical for effective management of their establishment and spread in the long-term. Managing pathways of human introduction represents a more effective approach than individual INNS management as it reduces the risks of all nonnative species using that pathway This is important as the dispersal mechanisms of many nonnative species remain uncertain, and due to time lags it is hard to predict which non-native species may, or may not become invasive in the future (Essl et al 2015). There have been limited, if any, studies undertaken to investigate the potential for long-distance jump dispersal of INNS between continents/countries on damp angling equipment This is despite a recent increase in the number of tourists travelling abroad for recreational activities including angling (Hulme 2015). Biosecurity refers to the undertaking of Recreational angling as a pathway for invasive non-native species spread: awareness of

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