Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: CA/Tomales Bay (1987, McDonald and Koehn 1988, molecular survey)
Geographic Extent
CA/Tomales Bay (1987, McDonald and Koehn 1988; McDonald et al. 1991; 1990, Sarver and Foltz 1993; 1995, Suchanek et al. 1995, ongoing aquaculture, California Department of Fish and Game- Marine Region 2010); Miller Point/CA/Tomales Bay (Braby and Somero 2006, all molecular surveys)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Alternate | None |
| Alternate | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
| Economic Impact | Fisheries | |
| Mussel aquaculture has been conducted in Tomales Bay (Conte 1992; California Department of Fish and Game 2010). Websites indicate that these operations continue (http://tomalesbayoysters.com/). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| In 1990-1991, ~90% of mussels sampled in Tomales Bay were M. galloprovincialis (Sarver and Foltz 1993; Suchanek et al. 1997), while only ~5-10% were M. trossulus. In 2002, 60% were M. galloprovincialis (Braby and Somero 2006). The continued dominance of the introduced mussel here, while declining in nearby estuaries (Hilbish et al. 2010), may have been a result of ongoing aquaculture operations. | ||