Invasion
Invasion Description
1st record: off James Island/MD/Middle Chesapeake Bay (1920, Cowles 1930; Osburn 1932)
Geographic Extent
off Cape Charles City/VA/Lower Chesapeake Bay (1920, Cowles 1930; Osburn 1932); off New Point Comfort/VA/Lower Chesapeake Bay (1920, Cowles 1930; Osburn 1932); off Tangier Island/VA/Lower Chesapeake Bay (1920, Cowles 1930; Osburn 1932); James Island/MD/Middle Chesapeake Bay (1916, Cowles 1930; Osburn 1932); Surry Power Station (Hog Island)/VA/James River (Thompson 1993); Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant/MD/Middle Chesapeake Bay (Abbe 1987); Norfolk Naval Base/VA/Hampton Roads (Calder 1966); Gloucester Point/VA/York River (Ruiz et al. unpublished); MD/Patuxent River (Chalk Point to Solomons) (Cory 1967); below Little Falls, Washington/DC/Potomac River (Banta and Backus 1991); Anne Arundel County/MD/Rhode River (Ruiz et al., unpublished data); Baltimore County/MD/Gunpowder River estuary (Ruiz et al., unpublished data)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Hull Fouling |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Victorella pavida (s. l.) is one of the dominant fouling organisms in summer in Chesapeake Bay (Osburn 1944; Cory 1967; Lippson and Lippson 1984; Abbe 1987) and is s presumed to compete with other fouling taxa for space in mesohaline fouling communities, including native barnacles and the introduced hydroids Cordylophora caspia and introduced Garveia franciscana, which are also frequently dominant in fouling communities (Cory 1967; Nauman and Cory 1969; Abbe 1987; Ruiz et al. unpublished data). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Habitat Change | |
| Victorella pavida (s. l.) colonies provide habitat for a wide variety of small motile animals (amphipods, polychaetes, etc.) in Chesapeake Bay (Ruiz et al. unpublished observations). | ||
| Economic Impact | Industry | |
| Victorella pavida (s. l.) is an important fouling organism in power plants and other industrial users of estuarine waters in the Patuxent River, Chesapeake Bay (Nauman and Cory 1969). | ||
| Economic Impact | Shipping/Boating | |
| Boating - Victorella pavida (s. l.) is 'a nuisance fouling the bottom of boats' in Chesapeake Bay (Osburn 1944; Lippson and Lippson 1984). | ||