Marine invaders

Plants and animals adapt over the centuries to the habitats and conditions where they originate. And for just as long, humankind has been moving those organisms to new homes - sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.

Not all introduced species are invasive. Some - certain species of trout and bass in the Pacific northwest, for instance - have become important sport or economic resources. But when an introduced species is bigger, tougher, hungrier or faster-growing than others in its new home, it can crowd them out and wreak havoc on entire ecosystems.

In 2008, Oregon Sea Grant teamed with Oregon Public Broadcasting and the Salem Statesman-Journal on a year-long campaign to engage Oregonians in the battle against invasive species.

Sea Grant aquatic invasives specialist Sam Chan served as a technical advisor and content source for print and broadcast special reports and an online database of species that threaten native plants, animals, and ecosystems in Oregon. The highlight of the campaign was a new, hour-long documentary, "The Silent Invasion," produced by OPB and premiering on Earth Day. The documentary went on to win a number of awards, including a prestigious 2009 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism. To coincide with the documentary's premiere, Sea Grant published an, illustrated invasive species identification guide, “On the Lookout for Aquatic Invaders."

For Sea Grant, the campaign was just the latest aspect of an ongoing effort to learn - and teach the public - more about marine invasive species, their effect on the native environment, and means of controlling their spread. The work dates back to the early 1990s, when the program funded research into the global spread of invasives via the ballast water of international cargo ships. Later, the program partnered with Washington Sea Grant and the University of Washington to form the Pacific Northwest Marine Invasive Species Team, a grant-funded project that resulted in regional information meetings, publications, videos, and an ongoing exhibit, Invasion of the Habitat Snatchers, at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center.

Since 2005, Sea Grant Extension's aquatic ecosystems health educator, Sam Chan, has brought special knowledge and focus to the program's efforts to educate the public about marine invaders. Working with k-12 teachers, watershed councils, land-owners and the recreational public, Chan and research assistant Tania Siemens deliver information and training aimed at helping people understand the threats posed by invasive species - and the steps they can take to help stop their spread. Chan also represents Oregon Sea Grant on the state’s Oregon Invasive Species Council, and has worked internationally, leading an exploratory visit to China in 2007 to discuss marine invasives.

Sea Grant has also contributed social science research to help guide the state's approach to invasive species outreach and education, organizing focus groups and supporting development of a statewide public opinion survey with the Oregon Invasive Species Council, an effort led by Sea Grant professor of free-choice learning Lynn Dierking, along with Chan and communications leader Joe Cone.

Publications and videos from Oregon Sea Grant :

On the Lookout for Aquatic Invaders: Identification Guide for the Pacific Northwest

Developed as a tool for watershed councils and other community groups to use in the field, this 72-page, coil-bound, full-color identification guide provides background information, illustrations, and key identification characteristics of many aquatic invaders already established or likely to become established in the Pacific Northwest. Just $4.95 plus shipping and handling.

Excerpt (1.2 MB pdf) | Order form [.pdf]
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More AIS publications and videos from Oregon Sea Grant ...