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Aim: On 11 March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that resulted in the largest known rafting event in recorded history. By spring 2012, marine debris began washing ashore along the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada with a wide range of Asian coastal species attached. We used this unique dataset, where the source region, date of dislodgment and landing location are known, to assess the potential for species invasions by transoceanic rafting on marine debris. Location: Northeast Pacific from 20 to 60°N. Time period: Current. Major taxa studied: Forty‐eight invertebrate and algal species recorded on Japanese tsunami marine debris (JTMD). Methods: We developed maximum entropy (MaxEnt) species distribution models for 48 species recorded on JTMD to predict establishment potential along the Pacific coast from 20 to 60°N. Models were compared within the context of historical marine introductions from Japan to this region to validate the emergence of marine debris as a novel vector for species transfer. Results: Overall, 27% (13 species) landed with debris at locations with suitable environmental conditions for establishment and survival, indicating that these species may be able to establish new populations or introduce greater genetic diversity to already established non‐native populations. A further 21 species have an environmental match to areas where tsunami debris likely landed, but was not extensively sampled. Nearly 100 Japanese marine species previously invaded the northeastern Pacific, demonstrating this region's environmental suitability for rafting Japanese biota. Historical invasions from Japan are highest in California and largely known from bays and harbours. Main conclusions: Marine debris is a novel and growing vector for non‐native species introduction. By utilizing a unique dataset of JTMD species, our predictive models show capacity for new transoceanic invasions and can focus monitoring priorities to detect successful long‐distance dispersal across the world's oceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the discovery of a barnacle species, Amphibalanus subalbidus, attached to a Western Pond Turtle in the Suisun Marsh, California, marking the first record of this barnacle in the Eastern Pacific outside of its known introduction sites. Topics include the rarity of epizoic barnacles on freshwater turtles compared to sea turtles, and the ecological context of the Hill Slough Wildlife Area as a brackish water system within Suisun Marsh.

Invasive species remain a major environmental problem in the world's oceans. Managing the vectors of introduction is the most effective means of mitigating this problem, but current risk assessments and management strategies are largely focused on species, not on vectors and certainly not on multiple simultaneous vectors. To highlight the issue that multiple vectors contribute to invasions, we analyzed the historical and contemporary contributions of eight maritime vectors to the establishment of nonindigenous species in California, where most species were associated with two to six vectors. Vessel biofouling looms larger than ballast water as a major vector and a management opportunity, but aquaculture risk appears reduced from historic levels. Standardized data on species abundances in each vector are lacking for a robust cross-vector assessment, which could be obtained in a proof-of-concept "vector blitz." Management must shift away from one or two target vectors to coordination across multiple vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents research which analyzed the San Francisco Bay and Delta ecosystem to reveal a large number of exotic species that dominate many habitats. Problem of biological invasions; How species dominate; Ecosystem perhaps being the most invaded estuary in the world; Possible causes.