Globalisation in Marine Ecosystems: The Story of Non-Indigenous Marine Species Across European Seas

The introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) across the major European seas is a dynamic non-stop process. Up to September 2004, 851 NIS (the majority being zoobenthic organisms) have been reported in European marine and brackish waters, the majority during the 1960s and 1970s. The Mediterranean is by far the major recipient of exotic species with an average of one introduction every 4 wk over the past 5 yr. Of the 25 species recorded in 2004, 23 were reported in the Mediterranean and only two in the Baltic.