Alien and invasive species in the Belgian part of the North Sea and adjacent estuaries

Worldwide, many plant and animal species have successfully colonized new habitats. Alien species also occur in the marine environment, coming from all over the world. And once an alien or non-indigenous species has settled here, there is usually no way back. The problem of non-indigenous species is not new. Early in history we find reports of such introductions. But for some species it is rather difficult to say whether they are indigenous or not. Our knowledge of some groups of marine organisms does not go far back in time. The reason is that, for the study of certain, often small organisms, our knowledge and research techniques are insufficient.

The project aims to develop and maintain an updated list and information of the alien marine and coastal species. The commitment ensures a continuously updated and annoted bibliography of all known alien and invasive species for the Belgian coast, the Belgian part of the North Sea, the Spuikom in Ostend, and the Scheldt estuary. While VLIZ and its partners strive to develop an exhaustive list of alien species, this is not an easy task. Alien species are often discovered by coincidence and some groups are less known, such as plankton that consists of microscopic plants and animals. In addition, non-indigenous species can be difficult to distinguish from local species, which can lead to the erroneous designation of an alien species. In this list you can click through to factsheets with extensive information about the life cycle and ecology of the species, method of introduction and distribution, the potential impacts or measurable impact of the species on the environment and possible policy measures. Taxonomic information, pictures and relevant links can also be found on these pages, supported by exhaustive and fulltext (pdf) bibliography.