The European Environment Agency (EEA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) tasked with providing independent information on the environment. Established in 1990 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, the EEA serves as a key source of environmental data, assessments, and reports for policymakers and the public across Europe. With a focus on improving environmental decision-making and promoting sustainable development, the agency plays a vital role in monitoring, analyzing, and communicating environmental trends and challenges. At its core, the EEA aims to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of EU environmental policies. It achieves this mission through a range of activities, including data collection, analysis, and reporting. The agency collaborates with national environmental agencies in EU member states, as well as other international organizations, to gather and harmonize environmental data from across Europe. This wealth of information is then used to produce high-quality assessments and reports on various environmental topics. One of the primary functions of the EEA is to provide regular assessments of the state of Europe's environment. These assessments cover a wide range of issues, including air and water quality, biodiversity, climate change, and resource use. By compiling and analyzing data from different sources, the agency produces comprehensive reports that highlight key environmental trends, identify emerging challenges, and assess progress towards environmental objectives. These assessments are invaluable tools for policymakers, helping them to make informed decisions and prioritize actions to protect and improve the environment. In addition to assessing the state of the environment, the EEA also plays a crucial role in monitoring the effectiveness of environmental policies and measures. The agency tracks the implementation of EU environmental legislation and policies, assessing their impact on the ground. By evaluating the success or shortcomings of these policies, the EEA provides valuable feedback to policymakers, helping them to refine and strengthen environmental governance at the European level. Furthermore, the EEA acts as a hub for environmental information and knowledge exchange. The agency maintains several databases and online platforms, such as the European Environmental Data Centre (EEDC) and the European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET), which provide access to a wealth of environmental data, maps, and indicators. These resources are freely available to policymakers, researchers, NGOs, and the public, supporting evidence-based decision-making and fostering greater transparency and accountability in environmental governance. In this page you can find the Web Services of the European Environment Agency

In order to effectively fight against aquatic invasive species, the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks has formulated a series of best practices. Among these good practices, cleaning watercraft greatly reduces the risks of dispersal of aquatic invasive species, whether animals or plants. In recent years, several municipalities in Quebec have installed cleaning stations (permanent or mobile), near water bodies, in order to protect them from the arrival of new invasive species or to reduce the risks of dispersion. The MELCCFP participated in this effort by funding several cleaning stations through its funding program. In order to facilitate the planning of nautical activities for citizens, it is important to make the location of these cleaning stations available. Thus, this dataset lists the location, address and name of known cleaning stations in Quebec. __WARNINGS:__ * The identification of these stations was carried out in collaboration with the Reunification of organizations of watersheds of Quebec and the Laurentides Regional Environment Council, as part of projects funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as well as the organizations managing the stations. There may be a time lag between the position listed in the data set and the actual location of the station. If you notice such a discrepancy, please inform the data set managers so that the necessary corrections can be made. * The “mobile” cleaning stations were positioned at their most frequent locations during the year. Depending on the season and current events in a locality, mobile stations may not be parked at the location listed. __** Update **__ * If you believe that information is incorrect for one of the stations, please send [DEFA@mffp.gouv.qc.ca] (mailto: DEFA@mffp.gouv.qc.ca) the information that needs to be changed to [] (mailto:) the information that needs to be changed, including the unique identifier of the station (__Station_Identifier__ field) in question.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

## #Description This database contains the coordinates of observations of fish and invertebrates, which are exotic and invasive, known by the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) in Quebec (MELCCFP) in Quebec as of May 2024. An aquatic invasive species is a plant, animal, or microorganism (virus, bacteria, or fungus) that is introduced outside of its natural range, colonizes new sites or regions at a rapid rate, and can form dominant populations. Its establishment or spread can pose a threat to the environment, economy, or society. ## #Les observations come from a variety of sources such as: * scientific sampling conducted by the MELCCFP and by other governmental or non-profit organizations; * references from citizens who contacted MELCCFP customer service directly or using tools such as Sentinel and iNaturalist; * accidental catches by commercial fishermen who are members of the Saint Lawrence Exotic Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection Network. For more information on the control of aquatic invasive species, introduction factors, or prevention methods, consult the following web page: [Management of exotic invasive animal species] (https://www.quebec.ca/agriculture-environnement-et-ressources-naturelles/faune/gestion-faune-habitats-fauniques/gestion-especes-exotiques-envahissantes-animales). To help you identify the various species of freshwater fish in Quebec (native and invasive), use the iPêche mobile application (available [here] (https://www.quebec.ca/tourisme-et-loisirs/activites-sportives-et-de-plein-air/peche-sportive/identifier-poisson-ipeche)), which is free and developed by the Government of Quebec. This application allows voluntary reporting of catches for wildlife research purposes. ## #Mises on guard * __Please consult the PDF document for the list of acronyms and references used in the database “Invasive exotic aquatic fauna in Quebec” .__ * The data is not exhaustive. Thus, the absence of information in a given territory does not mean that there is no invasive aquatic fauna there. * The observations transmitted by means of photographs are validated by experts, but have not all been subject to field validation by the MELCCFP. * The observations may have been subject to changes since their integration into the database (e.g. control action).**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**