Organisms
Initially, as part of the CRAB project the 5 most economically important fouling groups across Europe were identified from questionnaires. These were considered to be:
Algae Mussels Tubeworms Barnacles Ascidians
Further studies of the settlement and colonisation patterns found at the partner study sites can be accessed through the 'Case Studies' menu from the Research section of this website. Available here are details of the 25 most common species, which are described in terms of their physical appearance, habitat, ecology, reproductive biology and European distribution, along with potentail impacts on aquaculture.
The list is not exhaustive but can be used as a point of reference for similar species. For each species a photograph of an adult is provided and where possible pictures of the larvae are included. Through monitoring the presence of larvae of key fouling species, the timing of cleaning practices can be better co-ordinated after large spatfalls of fouling organisms.
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This EU funded Collective Research project with 23 partners from Norway, Ireland, UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, will provide the European marine aquaculture industry with low cost practical solutions to control biofouling.