Transforming marine pest control for the 21st century

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Invasive species management
• Biosecurity

Background:

• Marine pest control and eradication methods are currently insufficient and often manual.
• Existing approaches are cumbersome and inefficient, hindering effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline key strategies for effective marine pest control and eradication.
• To propose innovative solutions beyond current manual removal techniques.

Main Methods:

• Adapting strategic and tactical approaches from successful terrestrial pest control campaigns.
• Developing a toolbox of effective and scalable marine pest control methods.

Main Results:

• Identified key steps to improve marine pest control efficacy.
• Advocated for a shift in risk-benefit analysis to favor proactive knowledge-building for pest decline.

Conclusions:

• Achievable steps exist to strengthen marine biosecurity systems.
• Enhanced capacity can be developed to reduce or eliminate invasive pest populations and their impacts.