Invasive Tracers

Citizen Science Initiative:

Marine Invasive Species Monitoring Organization

CSI:MISMO

UPDATE: Over the last five years, Invasive Tracers’ Citizen Science Initiative: Marine Invasive Species Monitoring Organization (CSI: MISMO) trained over 7,000 people that monitored over 60 sites in 7 states (New Jersey to Maine). To see what CSI: MISMO has already done, please go the CSI: MISMO’s MIT site. To learn more about different marine introduced species that we are looking for, please click here. There, you can learn how to identify marine invaders. Please become familiar with these species, especially potential invaders! We all need to work to together to monitor the coasts of North America! So please learn what we are looking for and you could be the one making the next important detection event, which is vital for successful management of this species in North American waters.

URGENT WARNING: Our least wanted and most worrying species is the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) that may be invading a place near you, right now! Please memorize this information and picture and then scour the rivers, lakes, estuaries and the coast to find it. It has already established in San Francisco Bay and recently been found in a few locations along the east coast of North America. Thankfully it has only been detected in low numbers, so it is not clear whether those populations on the east coast of North America are permanent. We all need to do our part and try to detect and remove every Chinese mitten crab we can find in the waters of North America.

Download information on the Chinese mitten crab, courtesy of the SSCW (Salem Sound Coastwatch)

If the crabs can do it, anyone can! Download the Gulf Stream Newsletter from GOMMEA (Gulf of Maine Marine Educators Association) for updates on CSI MISMO. When: Any day! It is best to sample once in the spring and again in late summer. Where: Anywhere on the coast, under a dock, or even on the bottom of your boat for fouling organisms. Time commitment: It takes two days a year. Forced to go to the beach once a year? Life is rough!! ;-> www.sgnis.org/kids Any good CSI detective is also a Sea Grant Super Sleuth! Click here to become one! Most of the information that you need are these two websites!