Development of Biosecurity Tools to Inform AIS Management

The introduction of aquatic invasive species (AIS) from one part of the world to another has far-reaching ecological, economic, and social consequences. Also known as non-indigenous species, AIS can out-compete native species and cause fisheries to collapse. Collective, international efforts are essential to limit their spread and impact. Fisheries and Oceans Canada funded this initiative with the Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in Auckland, New Zealand, with $20,000 from the Partnership Fund in 2016 to enable marine invasive species experts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States to focus on three priority areas of research including the development of: more sensitive, cost-efficient AIS surveillance tools; innovative technologies and tactics for controlling and eradicating aquatic intruders, and; methods for evaluating the social and cultural impacts of AIS on Aboriginal people. The research team will compile existing data on Canadian “invasion hotspots” and group it into four general models on the basis of the major drivers and mechanisms of resulting ecosystem changes. Researchers will also assess changes in the provision of key ecosystem services and compare potential Canadian “invasion hotspots” to well-known or suspected hotspots around the world that could be sources of new invasions.

Project Number: PAC2016.17
Year: 2016
Partner: Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in Auckland, New Zealand
Principal Investigator(s): Graeme Inglis
Eco-region: National