Since 2006, the DFO Maritimes Biofouling Monitoring Program has conducted annual field surveys to monitor for the introduction, establishment and spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS ). To date, sampled species include the following:

Solitary Tunicates

i. clubbed tunicate, Styela clava (Herdman, 1881)

ii. vase tunicate, Ciona intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1776)

iii. European sea squirt, Ascidiella aspersa (Muller, 1776)

Colonial Tunicates

i. golden star tunicate Botryllus schlosseri (Pallas, 1766)

ii. violet tunicate Botrylloides violaceus (Oka, 1927)

iii. pancake batter tunicate, Didemnum vexillum (Kott, 2002)

iv. compound sea squirt, Diplosoma listerianum (Milne-Edwards, 1841)

Crustaceans

i. Green shore crab, Carcinus maenas (Linneaus, 1758)

ii. Japanese skeleton shrimp, Caprella mutica (Schurin, 1935)

Bryozoan

iii. lacy-crust bryozoan, Membranipora membranacea (Linnaeus, 1767)

Standardized monitoring includes intertidal PVC plates, subtidal groundlines, or Fukui traps deployed at intertidal and subtidal geo-referenced sites, including public and private docks, aquaculture lease sites, public and private marinas and yacht clubs. Sampling details are available in DFO publications, including the following and citations references therein; Sephton et al. 2017. Biofouling monitoring for aquatic invasive species (AIS) in DFO Maritimes Region (Atlantic shore of Nova Scotia and southwest New Brunswick): May–November 2012-2015. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3158: ix + 172p. Georeferenced data provided here are the result of these monitoring efforts.