Sweden has made a formal application for American lobster to be placed on the European Union’s list of invasive species with maritime and water authority HaV having completed an assessment that forms the basis of Sweden’s request.
More than thirty individual cases have occurred of American lobsters being caught off the Swedish west coast, and the Swedish authorities are of the opinion that stricter measures are needed to prevent the further spread of non-native lobsters. This could end the growing import to Europe of live lobsters from north America.
The EU regulation on invasive alien species came into force on the 1st of January 2015 and at the end of last year listed 37 such species. Sweden now seeks to add American lobster to the list on the grounds that interbreeding could result in negative genetic effects threatening the survival of European lobsters.
‘American lobster can carry diseases and parasites that can spread to the European lobster and cause extremely high mortality,’ Swedish Environment Minister Asa Romson was quoted as saying in an official statement.
‘Sweden has now formally requested that American lobster be put on the EU’s list of invasive alien species. Listing American lobster means a ban on imports of live American lobsters at EU level,’ the ministry said.
