Invasion

Invasion Description

1st Record: Vancouver Island/British Columbia/Genoa Bay (1992, Centre for Shellfish Research, Vancouver Island University, undated- M. edulis was brought from Ellerslie and St. Peters Bay, Prince Edward Island, F1 generation raised in a closed system. F2 generation cultured in open water, currently raised in four mussel farms on Georgia Straits; http://www.viu.ca/csr/healthandhusbandry/Genetics.asp)

British Columbia/Georgia Straits (Both Mytilus edulis and M. galloprovincialis were cultured in the region, but the two exotic species and their exotic-native hybrids (M. edulis or M. galloprovincialis X  M. trossulus) could not be distinguised from each other (Heath et al. 1995). In a later analysis (sampling in 2005, 2006), purebred M. edulis were found at one location, Ladysmith, Vancouver Island, while hybrids with M. trossulus and M. galloprovinicialis were found at 4 locations on Vancouver Island, along the Strait of Georgia, from Nanaimo to Moses Point (Shields et al. 2010). In a recent survey in British Columbia waters,, introgression of M. edulis genes was very low, and possibly attributable to M. edulis/ genes in stocked European M. galloprovincialis populations (Crego-Prieto et al. 2015).

Geographic Extent

British Columbia/Georgia Straits (Heath et al. 1995); Ladysmith, Vancouver Island/British Columbia/Georgia Straits (no purebred animals found, but 8 of 292 animals sampled were M. galloprovincialis X M. edulis hybrids, Shields et al. 2008); Cates Tugs float, Vancouver/British Columbia/Burrard Inlet (M. trossulus X M. edulis hybrid, 2004, Richoux et al. 2006, genetic ID); Ladysmith, Vancouver Island/British Columbia (2006, 2% purebred M. e., 2% M. t.X M. e. hybrids, 4% M. g.X M. e. hybrids, Shields et al. 2010).