Meeting Abstract
P1.140 Jan. 4 Evaluating risks of using imported ghost shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis) as live marine bait in Southern California LLABAN, A.S.**; ARCHIE, J.A.; PERNET, B.; California State University, Long Beach; California State University, Long Beach; California State University, Long Beach Ang.Llaban@gmail.com
The ghost shrimp Neotrypaea californiensis occurs in intertidal sediments in bays from Alaska to Mexico on the west coast of North America, and plays key roles in the biogeochemistry and ecology of these habitats. In Southern California many recreational anglers favor live ghost shrimp as bait for marine fishes. This demand is met in part by importing live N. californiensis from Oregon and Washington, where they are considered pests. As with trade in most marine live baits in California, this market is effectively unregulated. We evaluated two potential risks associated with the transport of northern ghost shrimp into southern populations. First, we addressed the hypothesis that there are significant genetic differences between northern and southern populations; introduction of northern ghost shrimp into Southern California waters might tend to homogenize such genetic diversity. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing a fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene in seven ghost shrimp populations from sites spanning much of the species� range. Second, some imported ghost shrimp purchased at Southern California bait shops parasitized by brooding bopyrid isopods, Ione cornuta. These parasites tend to castrate their hosts, and some related species have major impacts on host population ecology. Surveys of natural populations, the holdings of west coast natural history museums, and the literature suggest that I. cornuta�s southern range limit is Monterey Bay; thus use of northern ghost shrimp as live bait may result in release of non-native parasites into Southern California waters. Our results highlight risks associated with the common practice of transporting live marine bait across biogeographic boundaries.
