Monitoring the spread of the invasive anemone
Metridium senile
and its impacts on a sea urchin fishery
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Abstract
Metridium senile is a circumboreal sea anemone (Cnidaria: Metridioidea) native to the Northern Hemisphere and has been introduced to several locations in the Southern Hemisphere; however, to date, only localized effects of its expansion have been reported. This article presents a case study analyzing the presence and coverage effects of M. senile on the expansion/contraction dynamics of 22–27 exploited local populations of the sea urchin Loxechinus albus, monitored annually between 2021 and 2024 in southern Chile, which was combined with the effects of selected variables from their fishery. Metridium senile was present in 96% of the studied sites, covering 5%–20% of the seabed, although it exceeded 40% at several sites. Coverage values > 30%–40% diminished the adult and recruit densities and the presence of sea urchins in the local populations studied, affecting their expansion/contraction dynamics. Sea urchin landings and catch per unit effort also had a negative effect on the adult and recruit density and patch size of their populations. Therefore, increased M. senile coverage may decrease the population size and productivity of the Chilean sea urchin fishery (the world’s largest sea urchin fishery in terms of landings) in the medium term. Considering the spread of M. senile, its observed abilities and dynamics in southern Chile, it is considered a threat to benthic fisheries and their associated biodiversity in the Southern Hemisphere. The implementation of benthic monitoring is key to assessing the arrival and effects of biological invasions on benthic fisheries and to evaluating adaptation/mitigation measures to reduce their impacts.
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