Marine traffic and exotic species in ports of Argentina: needs for early detection and rapid response plans

ABELANDO,MARIANA; CASTRO, KAREN LIDIA; CHIARANDINI, JESSICA; SCHWINDT, EVANGELINA; BOBINAC, MAGALI

Puerto Madryn

Congreso; Xth International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions; 2018

In a connected world there is an urgent need to better known the shipping connectivity in order to improve the management of marine exotic species. Argentina is giving the first steps integrating stakeholders? efforts (maritime authority, port administrations, scientists and government) directed to implement the National Strategy of Exotic Invasive Species. In particular, the maritime authority, Prefectura Naval Argentina (PNA) pioneers the field applying regulations to prevent the introduction of marine exotic species. In this work, we analyze the marine traffic of three major marine ports of Argentina and their relationship with the marine exotic species reported in the literature. Marine traffic data were obtained from the PNA 2012-2016 database with the number of vessels, type of vessel, last port of call in Bahía Blanca (BBLA, 38° S), Quequén (QUEQ, 38° S) and Puerto Madryn (MADR, 42° S). We also collected data of the marine exotic species present (species, native area and likely vector). Our results showed that BBLA and QUEQ ports are receiving vessels mostly (general cargo and chemical tanker) from south Atlantic harbors as the last-port-of-call (39 % and 40 %, respectively) and the La Plata river drainage basin (45 % and 39 %, respectively). In MADR port, nearly half of the vessels (containerships) come from the South Atlantic. The highest numbers of exotic species were reported in BBLA (45), 41 in QUEQ and 27 in MADR. Most of the species (between 31-55%) were likely transported as ship fouling and from the NE Atlantic. Given that the shipping connectivity in the South Atlantic and the importance of Santos harbor (Brazil) as the main hub for the SW Atlantic, there is an urgent need for more studies and for the fast implementation of the management protocols proposed in the National Strategy of Invasive Exotic Species of Argentina.