- It is the first conviction in the Basque Country against Flora and Fauna for Trafficking in Invasive Exotic Species (Caracol manzana)
- Sold live specimens of apple snail online, which are part of the Spanish Catalogue of Invasive Alien Species
- They are considered one of the hundred most harmful invasive species in the world for their voracity and resistance
The Central Environmental Operational Unit of the Civil Guard (UCOMA), within the assigned competence in the prosecution of environmental crimes, carries out inquiries in order to detect facts constituting crimes against the Flora and Fauna - Trafficking of Invasive Alien Species (IAS), their possession and illegal trade through the Internet.
Last November 2022, in one of the continuous “cyber patrols”, civil guards of medium, detected that a person residing in Basauri, was marketing specimens of snails.
The agents found that the molluscs belonged to the “Ampullariidae family”, in particular, that the advertisement offered specimens of Pomacea (apple snail).
As a result of the inquiries, they discovered that the sales of these snails were destined to people who used them to clean their fish and aquariums, as well as to raise them, out of curiosity about their size and peculiar yellowish color, different from that of other indigenous snails.
This species of the genus Pomacea (apple snail), originating from the Amazon basin in South America, is considered one of the hundred most harmful invasive species in the world. Its biology and ethology make it very dangerous, due to the environmental risk it poses to the natural habitats where it is installed.
In Spain there are 63 wetlands, with an extension of 280,000 ha, and for rice cultivation 120,000 ha. Bizkaia has one of the most important wetlands in the Basque Country, located in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve. The apple snail, due to its voracity and resistance to adverse conditions, survives well in these natural spaces, causing significant losses and damage to the rice fields.
These species are very voracious and directly attack aquatic plants and algae, producing impacts on environments, reaching to affect other aquatic species, competing with them and forcing their displacement. Therefore, they are included in the Spanish Catalogue of Invasive Exotic Species, prohibiting their possession, transport, trafficking and trade of live specimens. The Civil Guard, as an environmental policeman and integral policeman of the sea, oversees the aquatic ecosystems in indoor and outdoor waters.
For these facts, the civil guards investigated a person, who was convicted last week by Examining Court No. 5 of Bilbao, being the first conviction in the Basque Country against Flora and Fauna for Trafficking in Invasive Exotic Species (Caracol manzana). The convicted person faces an economic sanction, and a special disqualification for his profession or trade for a period of 10 months.
The Civil Guard warns of the dangerousness of this species and the environmental risk that it poses for any type of natural habitat in which it can be located, which is why it is essential to immediately inform the competent authorities of any suspicion of the presence of Pomacea (apple snail).
Since it is regulated as a quarantine pest for plants, if they have been in contact with them (aquatic plants), measures must be established to prevent the import of molluscs and plants with which it has been in contact, since they may be infected with eggs or snail offspring.