1. Invasion of an Invader; case study from the Suez Canal
Yasser A. Geneid
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt
Amgad A. El Shaffai
Nature Conservation Sector, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency

2. Marine Invasive Species
Invasive alien species introduced into marine ecosystems may have a significant impact on biological diversity through predation, competition, mixing of exotic genes, habitat modification and the introduction of pathogens.
Vessels provide suitable transportation habitats for alien species in ballast waters, sediment in ballast tanks, sediment attached to anchors, and hull fouling.
The Mediterranean is the world's most invaded sea, harboring around 900 introduced marine species.
Ship traffic is one of the major ways especially after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
The Suez Canal has been the largest pathway for the entry of these species, more than 50 % of all alien species introduced into the Mediterranean came through the Suez Canal.
Species mainly with Indo-Pacific origin (molluscs, fish, decapod crustaceans, polychaetes and algae) have become established in the Mediterranean, leading to dramatic changes in its endemic habitats.
If the acceleration rate of the invasive species continues to increase at the same ratio, in the year of 2050 the ratio of the introduced species to native species is going to be as 50 to 50 %.

3. Opening of the Suez Canal 17th of November 1869

4. The suez canal is 172 km long, 28 m deep 350m wide
The suez canal is 172 km long, 28 m deep 350m wide. It connect the Red Sea with Med via connecting water masses (lakes) called TEMSAH and Grand and small bitter lakes

5. Speak about why no studies on suez canal and story of yasser work in Suec canal

6. THE BITTER LAKES
The Bitter Lakes (Grand Bitter lake and LittleBitter Lake) constitutes about 85% of Suez Canal total water mass.
Most of the fishing activities along the Canal are found there, about 3000 fishermen using different fishing methods fishes daily for fish. Shrimps, crabs and bivalves.
However, since 2011, most of the fishing activities are panned for security reasons.

7. Halophila stipulacea a migrant seagrass species from the Red Sea was reported in the bay of Marsa Matruh (Egyptian Mediterranean) in the early 1962 by Allem.
He mentioned in his paper “THE SUEZ CANAL AS A HABITAT AND PATHWAY FOR MARINE ALGAE AND SEAGRASSES” 1984 that H. stipulacea was recorded in the Suez Canal by the Cambridge Expedition in 1924.
The very few studies on the marine vegetation of the Suez Canal recorded that H.Stipulacea was dominant till the Year 2000, when a something major took place.
The commonly existing seagrass plants were “invaded” by the green seaweed Caulerpa prolifera, leading to full disappearance of the seagrass plants.

9. Study sites

10. Caulerpa prolifera; a green alga, widespread in tropical and subtropical seas invaded the Suez Canal after the year With its potential to supplant existing vegetation, it colonized the western sandy shore of the Canal at shallow waters of 1-2 m depth.
According to Gab-Alla’s study (2007), C. prolifera supplant seagrass H. stipulacea which is already an invasive species from the Red Sea colonizing vast area in the Mediterranean.
The competitive success of C. prolifera seems to be related to its large size, high density, rapid growth, high efficiency in dim light conditions, high tolerance to severe nutrient limitation, salinity and temperature fluctuations and to the production of toxic secondary metabolites (Caulerpenyne).
The presence of these toxic secondary metabolites explains why C. prolifera is avoided by many of macro invertebrates as a habitat or feeding grounds (Gab-Alla, 2007)

11. CAULERPENYNE Caulerpenyne is a secondary metabolite
synthesized by species of the genus Caulerpa,
it plays a major role in their chemical defence
against epiphytes and herbivores.
A possible allelopathic activity of caulerpenyne, which may play a role in the successful competition of the invasive Caulerpa with other macrophytes such as Halophila stipulacea.
A study in 2010 showed that C. prolifera has higher caulerpenyne concentrations than invasive Caulerpa spcies under similar climate conditions (Box et al, 2010)

12. Other possible explanation of Caulerpa prolifera invading the Suez Canal, might be the reduction in salinity of sea water in the Bitter Lakes due to the increasing amount of fresh water run off into the sea water due to growing coastal communities living near by with its impact on the water mass.
Boudouresque (1999) mentioned that the deepening of the Suez Canal resulted in removing the salt domes of the seabed, causing a further reduction in salinity of the hypersaline Bitter Lakes fallen from 70%O to 43%O
This drop in salinity encourage the seaweed to spread widely, replacing the Halophila stipulacea meadows in the study sites.

13. HOWEVER,
In 2004 – 2005 many fishermen reported a mass mortality in the “green staff” living on the seabed. Tones of drifted Caulerpa prolifera plants were observed washed along the beaches of the Bitter Lakes.
For our surprise, using visual observation, the sea bed in the study sites was free of either Caulerpa prolifera or Halophila stipulacea in early 2005.
By the end of 2005 Spring season, plants of the “fighting” seagrass H. stipulacea appeared back dominating the sea bottom.
Communications with fishermen in other locations confirmed the same situation, with appearance of seagrasses again.
Our final field trip Summer 2014 showed that H. stipulacea is back as it was before 2000 with complete disappearance of Caulerpa prolifera
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

14. ANY EXPLAINATIONS
Increasing of seawater temp due to climate change led to demolishing of Caulerpa prolifera . OR
Sudden mass mortality due to excessive concentration of herbicides used in the agriculture near-by and run off to the sea
OR…

15. New Canal Project

17. On 25 February 2015 an important workshop on
"Environmental Impacts of the Suez Canal Development Project”
was organized by the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries of the Ministry of Scientific Research, Ministry of Environment and the Suez Canal Authority.
The Workshop was a high profile event, attended by more than 120 participants from all concerned universities and research institutions and by representatives of several stakeholders and the media. 

18. It was attended by both the Minister of Scientific Research and the Minister of Environment, with some of the High-level speakers, including Dr. Mostafe Fouda, Prof. Makram Gerges.
At the end of the Workshop an official Press Release was released highlighting the importance of the Project to the future social and economic prosperity of Egypt meanwhile stressing the efforts and actions taken by the Government of Egypt to minimize, mitigate and avoid all possible environmental impacts of the Project.

19. Environmental consultancy group for the evaluation of EIA of the New Suez Canal Project November 2014, Ismailia, EGYPT

20. ANY ANSWERS ????

21. MANY THANKS TO:

22. THANK YOU