Invasive species - Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in Flanders, Belgium

Citation

Description

Invasive species - Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in Flanders, Belgium is a species occurrence dataset published by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). The dataset contains over 6,000 occurrences (Chinese mitten crab exclusively) sampled between 2000 and now. The data are compiled from different monitoring initiatives coordinated or run at INBO. The Chinese mitten crab is listed as a species of EU concern sensu the EU regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (IAS). This requires member states to report on the status and distrubution of such species. Issues with the dataset can be reported at https://github.com/LifeWatchINBO/data-publication/tree/master/datasets/invasive-chinese-mitten-crab-occurrences

To allow anyone to use this dataset, we have released the data to the public domain under a Creative Commons Zero waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). We would appreciate however, if you read and follow these norms for data use (http://www.inbo.be/en/norms-for-data-use) and provide a link to the original dataset (https://doi.org/10.15468/eakzzv) whenever possible. If you use these data for a scientific paper, please cite the dataset following the applicable citation norms and/or consider us for co-authorship. We are always interested to know how you have used or visualized the data, or to provide more information, so please contact us via the contact information provided in the metadata, opendata@inbo.be or https://twitter.com/LifeWatchINBO.

Purpose

Native to the Pacific coasts of China and Korea, Chinese mitten crabs arrived in European waters in the early 1900s and are believed to have been introduced via ship's ballast water and, possibly, intentionally released to establish fisheries. Since its arrival in Germany, the species has rapidly invaded coastal and inland waters throughout Europe. It was first recorded in Belgium in 1933 in the Zeeschelde near Antwerp (Wouters 2002). Based on recent observations, it is now common in Flanders (Messiaen et al. 2010), in flowing as well as still waters, where it is benefitting from improved water quality (Kerckhof et al. 2007, Stevens 2010). In the last few years, the species has increased in distribution area and numbers, and is now colonizing inland waters. The Scheldt estuary is the most important invasion route, where its numbers seem to have stabilized in recent years (unpublished data, INBO). The seasonal upstream migration of mitten crabs has become a well known phenomenon in Flanders (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSBqwufl3pA), but its impact in the region is not well known. The Chinese mitten crab is listed as a species of EU concern sensu the EU regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction of invasive alien species (IAS). This regulation requires member states to set up surveillance and early warning, as well as rapidly eradicate new introductions of a selection of IAS. Additionally, it requires member states to set up management programmes for widely established species and to evaluate and report on the progress of these programmes. To do this, baseline data on the distribution of selected IAS are needed, which is one of the reasons we are publishing these data.

Sampling Description

Taxonomic Coverages

Geographic Coverages

Bibliographic Citations

1. Groom QJ, Desmet P, Vanderhoeven S, Adriaens T (2015) The importance of open data for invasive alien species research, policy and management. Management of Biological Invasions 6, 2: 119–125 https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2015.6.2.02 - https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2015.6.2.02
2. EU (2014) Regulation (EU) no 1143/2014 of the European parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. Official Journal of the European Union 4.11.2014, L317:35-55 -
3. Messiaen M, Lock K, Gabriels W, Vercauteren T, Wouters K, Boets P, Goethals PLM (2010) Alien macrocrustaceans in freshwater ecosystems in the eastern part of Flanders (Belgium). Belgian Journal of Zoology 140: 30–39 -
4. Kerckhof F, Haelters J, Gollasch S (2007) Alien species in the marine and brackish ecosystem: the situation in Belgian waters. Aquatic Invasions 2: 243–257 https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2007.2.3.9 - https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2007.2.3.9
5. Wouters K (2002) On the distribution of alien non-marine and estuarine macro-crustaceans in Belgium. Bulletin van het Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen. Biologie 72: 119–129 -
6. Stevens M (2010) Advies betreffende de Chinese Wolhandkrab langsheen de Schelde. INBO.A.2010.59. Available online https://www.inbo.be/nl/advies/advies-betreffende-de-chinese-wolhandkrab-langsheen-de-schelde -
7. Stevens M, Van den Neucker T, Mouton A, Buysse D, Martens S, Baeyens R, Jacobs Y, Gelaude E, Coeck J (2009) Onderzoek naar de trekvissoorten in het stroomgebied van de Schelde. Rapport INBO, R.2009.9. Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek: Brussel, Belgium. 188 pp. -
8. Maes J, Taillieu A, Van Damme P, Ollevier F (1996) Impact van watercaptatie via het waterpompstation van de kerncentrale van Doel 3/4 op de biota van de BenedenZeeschelde. Studierapport in opdracht van Electrabel. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 111 pp. + bijlagen -
9. Pas J, Peeters B, Maes J, Vlietinck K, Pauwels F, Ollevier F, (1998) Opvolging van het visbestand van de Zeeschelde en de bijhorende overstromingsgebieden. Studierapport in opdracht van AMINAL. 82 pp. + bijlagen -
10. Boets P, Brosens D, Lock K, Adriaens T, Aelterman B, Mertens J, Goethals PLM (2016) Alien macroinvertebrates in Flanders (Belgium). Aquatic Invasions 11: in press -