Submitted by

• Main Authors: U. S. Fish, Wildlife Service, Gregory M. Ruiz, Tami Huber, Kristen Larson, Linda Mccann, Brian Steves, Paul Fofonoff, Anson H. Hines
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: 2 Executive Summary; Anchorage; Kachemak; Ketchikan; Kodiak; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.645.6767; http://www.arlis.org/docs/vol1/191100064.pdf

Biological invasions are a significant force of change in coastal ecosystems, altering native communities, fisheries, and ecosystem function. The number and impact of non-native species have increased dramatically in recent time, causing serious concern from resource managers, scientists, and the public. Although marine invasions are known from all latitudes and global regions, relatively little is known about the magnitude of coastal invasions for high latitude systems. We implemented a nationwide survey and analysis of marine invasions across 24 different bays and estuaries in North America. Specifically, we used standardized methods to detect non-native species in the sessile invertebrate community in high salinity (>20psu) areas of each bay region, in order to control for search effort. This was designed to test for differences in number of non-native species among bays, latitudes, and coasts on a continental scale. In addition, supplemental surveys were conducted at several of these bays to contribute to an overall understanding of species present across several additional habitats and taxonomic groups that were not included in the standardized surveys. Our standardized surveys included six different bay regions in Alaska: Ketchikan, Sitka, Prince William Sound, Kachemak Bay, Kodiak, and Dutch Harbor. Supplemental surveys were conducted primarily at Kachemak Bay and Kodiak, and an additional low-salinity site in Cook Inlet near Anchorage.