BiodivERsA Causes and consequences of invasions of aquatic ecosystems by non-native salmonids

SalmoInvade (Causes and consequences of invasions of aquatic ecosystems by non-native salmonids) is a joint research project within the BiodivERsA-network. The project is being led by University of Gothenburg and has participation of research groups from Norway (NINA), France, Germany and Canada. The objectives of the project are: 1. to evaluate current releases of non-native salmonids in Europe and the social, economic and ecological mechanisms underlying their invasion potential, 2. to investigate the ecological and evolutionary impacts of biological invasions by salmonids, 3. to evaluate how salmonid invasions are perceived by the public and by key stakeholders and 4. to provide integrated recommendations for policy and management of salmonid invasions. The project started in 2014 and includes literature review studies, ecological experiments, surveys of stakeholder perceptions and workshops with stakeholders. In Norway, field experiments have been carried out at the NINA Research Station at Ims. The experimental design allows investigations of impacts of non-native populations and species, both at the species and ecosystem levels. In 2016 we performed new experiments for studying effect studies on the ecosystem level, while also introducing behavioral studies of experimental fish. A Norwegian-Swedish stakeholder meeting was held in Gothenburg on 1 September 2016, and the final meeting with participants and stakeholders was held in Kristineberg on 21-22 March 2017. The project has given 5 international publications, and more than two times as many mansucripts for the scientific literature, during the project period. Also, a folder with policy recommendations has been produced. A home page for the project with background knowledge, publications and other dissemination activities has been developed by the University of Gothenburg at http://bioenv.gu.se/english/salmoinvade

SalmoInvade is a novel, interdisciplinary and integrative approach to biological invasions of one of the most economically, ecologically and socially important group of freshwater fish across much of its native range in Europe. Using a multidisciplinary t oolbox, including meta-analytic approaches, social surveys and biological experiments, SalmoInvade will evaluate current release practices of non-native salmonids in Europe and mechanisms explaining their invasion. Further, we will investigate the eco-evo lutionary impacts of such invasions at several levels of biological organization from individuals to ecosystems. The relation between biological scenarios and the perception and policy preferences of the general public and specific stakeholders will then be analyzed using tools from environmental psychology, sociology and economics. Finally, the policy and management implications of both the human dimensions and the biological impacts of invasions will be evaluated together with stakeholders and managers.