The EU species list for invasive species to be removed is continuously updated and it is the landowner's obligation to know what is on the list and if a species that you have in your pond or water source is classified as invasive, it must be remedied.
Invasive, alien species are a growing problem.
- Species come up all the time and it is important to stay updated so it does not go wrong, says Carina Tennfors.
Solar perch were sanitized
After the summer, it came to the County Administrative Board's knowledge that sun perch was sold in Swedish pet stores and that a private individual bought the fish and planted it in his pond.
During the autumn of 2021, the private dam in Västmanland was decontaminated.
The County Administrative Board then followed the eradication plan that the colleagues in Jönköping used in 2018 when they cleaned up there in a pond in 2018.
Two specimens of sun perch that were removed from a pond in Västmanland in the autumn of 2021 Photo: Carina Tennfors / County Administrative Board
- We emptied the pond as much as we could and saved as much of the other species of fish as we could and then treated the ammonia with ammonia, says Carina Tennfors.
According to the County Administrative Board, the owner of the dam did not know that the sun perch could have such serious consequences.
- When he found out, he complained that it turned out the way it did, says Carina Tennfors.
Ecosystems can collapse
These are similar cases that the County Administrative Board wants to detect and avoid that species that do not belong in our nature can spread.
They are not least important when it comes to aquatic animals as they spread very easily.
- Our ecosystems are very fragile, they are built on the species we have and there is a balance, and if there is another species that can compete with one of our native species, there will be a shift in the balance and that means that the ecosystems can collapse in the worst case, says Carina Tennfors.