IMIS

An aquatic invader is a non-native species, whose introduction will likely cause (or has already caused) damage to the host ecosystem, existing species therein, the economy or human well-being. Invasive species thrive in the absence of their native predators and have the potential to drastically alter habitat, rendering it inhospitable for native species. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been entering Canadian waters for centuries but never as rapidly as today. Fisheries and Oceans Canada maintains a national AIS database containing field and experimental datasets submitted by researchers across the country. The OBIS view of this collection contains information related to the geographic distribution of selected AIS species from the field datasets. Date, abundance and biomass information is currently not included in this version of the OBIS view of the dataset.