Regional Management, Research, Outreach Preparedness and Response to a Natural Disaster Driven Invasive Species Pathway: Learning from the 2011 Japanese Tôhoku Tsunami

The 2011 Japan tsunami generated debris habitat conveying over 280 living species of marine organisms, many not previously found on North American Pacific coast.  Algae, bryozoans, polychaetes, mollusks, and crustaceans are the most abundant groups. At least 5 living barred knifejaw fish (Oplegnathus fasciatus) were among the most surprising discoveries. The observed trans-Pacific conveyance of such large numbers of species to the West Coast of the United States, Hawaii and Canada from Japan Tsunami Marine Debris (JTMD) was unprecedented and unanticipated by managers and scientists.  Regional JTMD AIS preparedness and response protocols were rapidly developed by a binational, multi-agency team of invasive species experts, managers, educators, communicators and citizen scientist leaders to create a coherent framework for risk assessments, management, outreach and engagement, policy, and research . The goal was to reduce the risk the introduction of AIS from the biofouling through: (1) clarification of agency jurisdiction roles and responsibilities; (2) enhanced communication and coordination: (3) enlisting technical support for taxonomic identifications; and (4)identification of critically important research questions relevant to the risk of AIS transported by JTMD. Along with the protocol, a dedicated incident command structure strong support, collaboration from the Japanese government , managers and researchers, citizen and media interest are proving  essential for prevention, early detection  and response.