VLIZ Alien Species Consortium (2022). Undaria pinnatifida. Niet-inheemse soorten in het Belgisch deel van de Noordzee en aanpalende estuaria = Non-indigenous species from the Belgian part of the North Sea and estuaria. VLIZ Alien Species Consortium (VLIZ): Oostende. Diff. pag. pp.
Part of: Niet-inheemse soorten in het Belgisch deel van de Noordzee en omliggende estuaria = Non-indigenous species from the Belgian part of the North Sea and estuaria. VLIZ Alien Species Consortium (VLIZ): Ostend. ISSN 2983-5518, more
Related to:
VLIZ Alien Species Consortium (2020). Undaria pinnatifida - Japanse kelp (wakame), in: Verleye, T. et al.Niet-inheemse soorten in het Belgisch deel van de Noordzee en aanpalende estuaria. VLIZ Special Publication, 86: pp. 111-117, more
Wakame Undaria pinnatifida is a large brown seaweed native to Northeast Asia. Here, it is cultivated for consumption. It is an opportunistic species that spreads quickly by attaching itself to the hulls of ships. In 1971, wakame got introduced to the Mediterranean Sea via oyster farming. Twelve years later, it got transferred to Brittany as part of experimental breeding cultures, where it proved capable of reproducing outside of the cultures. Wakame can form dense colonies, which compete with native species for space and light. Thus, this seaweed can outcompete native fauna and flora. In Belgium, the species has been present since 1999, mainly in the port of Zeebrugge.
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