Report on "Submitting Information about Exotic Invading Species Management”, CDB Notification 2015- 052-SBSTTA abril 2016
Answers to queries:
1. Exploring ways and means of coping with the risks associated to the trade of fauna introduced as pets and species from aquariums and terrariums as live bait and live feed, and warning methods from suppliers to potential buyers about the risks of exotic invading species sold online.
In Uruguay, three important categories of exotic invading species (EIS), which can enter by different means, are taken into account:
a) pets and species from aquariums and terrariums, as live bait and live feed.
B) accompanying species
c) parasite species and pathogens introduced with them.
Our country complies with international regulations by the IPPC, the OIE, the Codex Alimentarius Committee, the WTO Agreement on SPS measures, the CITES and the FAO, whereby the trade of exotic fauna is controlled by the competent authorities (Customs, MGAP, DINAMA-Fauna, among others), penalizing those who fail to comply. From elementary to high school, specific literature and different activities such as science clubs and workshops are aimed at raising awareness on this subject among young students. On another level, the National Committee on Exotic Invading Species (CEEI), through different means, seeks to warn the parties involved (suppliers, potential buyers) about the risk of trading exotic species online.
Decrees 572/994/MERCOSUR tourists contain provisions regarding animals than can be bought as pets. For the purposes of expositions, competitions and events, introduction procedures are handled by customs brokers and electronically filed. In every particular case, before entrance and customs authorization, the interested party must apply for a health certificate from the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP). Without meeting those requirements, the National Customs Administration (DNA) will not authorize entrance under any circumstance. In the case of breeder's cats or dogs, or any other species (birds, mammals, reptiles, batrachians, among others), MGAP (Department of International Trade Control) must issue an import authorization prior to the National Customs Administration (DNA) procedures. The health control of animals at the point of entry to the country is carried out by MGAP officials jointly with the National Customs Administration (DNA).
There are scarce records regarding the entrance of land fauna, and the current legislation is quite dated (Act Nº 9481 of 1935). The situation concerning ornamental aquaculture species is very different. The National Administration of Aquatic Resources (DINARA) recently (2014-2015) carried out a nationwide survey of ventures operating aquariums that only sell specimens and fish farms for commercial breeding, in order to locate them and gather relevant information. For this purpose, a comprehensive search was conducted and a total of 38 commercial ventures operating in those circumstances, of which almost 50% (18 ventures) are breeding centers and the rest are pet shops selling ornamental species but not breeding them. Of all the recorded ventures, only nine (24%) claimed to have legally imported ornamental species at some point, and two (5%) have exported fish bred on their grounds. Breeders generally farm exotic fish species, of which Carassius auratus stands out for production volume as well as for the number of varieties. Also frequently recorded were Cyprinus carpio and warm water species such as guppies (Poecilia reticulata), zebrafishes (Danio rerio), swordtails (Xiphophorus sp.), bettas (Betta splendens), and platies (Xiphophorus sp.), among others, and two amphibious species, the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) and the axolotl(Ambystoma sp.).
According to the information gathered in 2013, the annual ornamental fish production reached 246,800 specimens, whereas the domestic market records an estimate of 500,000 fishes per year. These figures show that legal and illegal import accounts for nearly half the total amount of ornamental fishes sold domestically.
In our country, ornamental aquatic species farming is mainly a private, home business, but it also extends to medium and large scale companies. This means that a great volume of ornamental species are produced in informal settings. Because of this informality, many breeders choose not to reveal technical and commercial information regarding their ventures, which hampers the collection of data required by DINARA and makes this sub-area of aquaculture the most difficult one to regulate and sort out.
2. Synthesizing data of the country, scientific institutions and other relevant organizations, concerning experiments on the use of biological control agents against invading exotic species, particularly the release of exotic species in a natural environment for this purpose, including positive and negative cases, and cases in which the proper risk assessment is applied.
While management is in the hands of the Ministry of Housing, Territorial Planning and Environment (MVOTMA), the National Customs Administration (DINAMA), the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and other official bodies, the Faculties of Science and Agriculture of the University of the Republic, along with other institutions such as the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) and the Institute of Biological Research Clemente Estable, conduct research on the subject.
Non-governmental organizations such as Vida Silvestre, among others, also contribute, from their own experience, to the biological control of different species.
The National Coast Guard (PNN), by means of the Maritime Regulation N° 109, sets guidelines for the management of ballast water in accordance with Resolution A.868(20)of the International Maritime Organization (“Guidelines for the control and management of ships' ballast water to minimize the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens”, November 27, 1997). One of the guidelines taken into account concerns the renewal of ballast water in ocean areas, which must be done outside the 200-meter-deep isobathytherm, and ships must have a Ballast Water Management Plan approved by the Authority.
Some biological control experiences are detailed in the following paragraphs. In the 1970s, grain aphid in Uruguay became a significant pest of the Southern Cone region. An important biological control program was developed in Brazil, using parasitoids imported from outside the region. The idea of this program, which was very successful in Brazil, was to release the agents of control near the Uruguayan border. As a result, the pest was successfully controlled in our country and the use of pesticides was discontinued.
In the early 1990s, INIA imported from Australia species of Scarabaeidae that feed on bovine feces for the purpose of reducing the incidence of flies among cattle. These insects where multiplied in the lab and released in the environment, but there is no data showing their establishment. This project was abandoned.
Throughout 1998 and 2007, DINARA (formerly INAPE), jointly with some Departmental Governments, conducted a Program for the Biological Control of Mosquitoes. The aim of this Program was the reproduction of Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Jenyns, 1842), a species commonly known as “ten spotted live-bearer”, for the control of aquatic larvae of hematophagousinsects, vectors of diseases such as dengue fever. These experiments were considered successful by those who took part in the Program. The Program developed in the 1990s aimed at setting up a reproduction module in every Department that requested it in order to be self-sufficient in response to individual demands, as well as sowing in temporary natural water tables in its area of influence. Uruguay has currently lost its status as a country “free of autochthonous dengue”, and the approach to the biological control of invading species must be consequently adjusted. In this sense, it is not advisable to generate and/or extend aquatic environments that may promote the development of the early life stages of Aedes aegypti.
The white fly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, is one of the most significant pests in our country’s horticulture (e.g.: it affects the quality of tomato fruit and its market return). A native isolation of the entomopathogenicfungusLecanicillim lecanii, which acts as an agent of control of that insect, has been recently formulated commercially as “LECAFOL”. The active microorganism component of LECAFOL penetrates the insect’s cuticle, causing its death.
Other biological control experiences involve:
-Anaphesnitens, parasitoid wasp to control eucalyptus weevils (Gonipterus spp). (MGAP, Agriculture Deparment)
-Deladenus (Beddingia) siricidicola, parasite nematode to control Sirex woodwasps (Sirex noctilio). (Faculty of Agronomy)
-Avetianella longoi, parasitoid wasp to control the eucalyptus longhorned borer (Phoracantha spp). (MGAP, Forestry Department).
-Psylla ephaguspilosus, to control Ctenarytaina spp. (MGAP’s Agricultural Services)
INIA Tacuarembó currently breeds Anaphes nitens to control Gonipterus spp. Foresters are supplied with this agent of control so they can release it on their premises. Research is being conducted to implement a program for the biological control of the bronze bug (Thaumastocoris peregrinus) with entomopathogen fungi and the Cleurochoides noackae wasp.
Citrus have also been the subject of biological control experimentation. The first species selected for this biological control program implemented in Uruguay was the parasitoid Ageniaspis citricola, considered to be very efficient in controlling the damage that Phyllocnistis citrella has on citrus leaves. Control agents were released for seven years in farms located in the country’s two main citrus regions.
Finding biological control agents for Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912), vector of Leishmaniasis, and Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) is one of the most important challenges our country has to face at the moment.
3. Developing support tools for assessment decisions and evaluating the social, economic and environmental consequences of EIS. Cost-benefit analysis of management, control and eradication measures, and tools for studying the impact of climate change and the variation in soil use in biological invasions.
In Uruguay, the development of support tools for decisions regarding the evaluation of the social, economic and environmental consequences of EIS is incipient. So far, only management actions and, to a feasible extent, control actions have been implemented. There are no available tools for studying the impact of climate change and the variation in soil use in biological invasions.
Future regulations regarding the control of ballast water will include tank-water sampling for biological and physicochemical analysis. This will provide more comprehensive data for the control of exotic invading aquatic species.
In compliance with Article 12 of Act N° 19.175 of 2013, the National Administration of Aquatic Resources (DINARA-MGAP) is responsible for enforcing the regulation of all activities related with fishing and aquaculture. According to this Act, DINARA has the power to act as the official competent authority on sanitary issues of cultivated species. Article 59 of the same Act provides that DINARA must establish the minimum sanitary requirements for aquaculture ventures. Thus, the Aquaculture Sanitary Control Area (ASA) of the Department of Fishing Industry (DIP) has established the sanitary requirements and procedures with which every farm must comply in order to obtain a sanitary authorization. To be eligible for this authorization, the company must prepare a “Fish-farming Good Practices Manual” ensuring the high sanitary quality of their products in compliance with existing regulations on food for human consumption. This Manual must refer to all the activities that take place before, during and after production, with a documentation system that guarantees their proper implementation and operation. Farms must also have a veterinary, responsible for formulating the Manual and for its implementation, control and monitoring. If the aquaculture project involves the introduction of exotic species, the ASA will request the corresponding sanitary certificates, which must be issued by the competent official sanitary control authority of the country of origin, in addition to all the official sanitary certificates required by the law or the ASA.
This agency is the only body able to act as the competent official authority regarding sanitary control and food safety of fishing and aquaculture products, issuing the corresponding certificates for domestic and international purposes. The Departments of Aquaculture and Fishing Industry are responsible for the evaluation of aquaculture projects. The basic requirements for submitting an aquaculture project are publicly available on DINARA’s website (www.dinara.gub.uy), and they include the presentation of risk analysis and contingency plans before the project is approved. If the aquaculture project involves the introduction of exotic species, the Department of Aquaculture requests all the information it considers relevant to evaluate the appropriateness and risks of introducing such species. This Department is also responsible for assessing the viability of the production projects presented to the Institution and monitoring them, advising those interested in practicing aquaculture, researching and transferring tested farming technologies, and spreading this activity to complement or diversify other production practices.