{"id":2,"date":"2025-03-13T23:34:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T23:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearseas.org\/invasive-species-new\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2026-04-06T22:32:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:32:23","slug":"sample-page","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/clearseas.org\/invasive-species\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Invasive Species &
Marine Shipping<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

#invasivespecies #ballastwater #biofouling #clearfacts<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Commercial vessels transiting the world\u2019s oceans from port to port can transport as much as 90% of the world\u2019s goods and products[1]<\/a><\/sup> \u2013 and carry more than just cargo.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without careful measures, ships can unintentionally transport foreign species to new environments \u2013 where without natural predators, these \u201cinvasive\u201d species can threaten local ecosystems and damage the environment, the economy and human health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This site, created by Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping, provides objective information about invasive species in Canadian waters \u2013 how they get here, what threats they pose and how they are countered \u2013 to encourage informed conversations about these issues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Invasive Species in Canadian Waters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Canada is a maritime trading nation. Every day, commercial vessels from all over the world transit our coastal waters, rivers and lakes carrying goods to and from the country. Each of these vessels has the potential to cause harm by unintentionally transferring invasive species.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the spread of invasive species is considered one of the key threats to natural biodiversity in aquatic environments \u2013 second only to habitat destruction. The costs to repair damage by and manage the impacts of invasive species are significant and increasing.[2]<\/a><\/sup> Globally, it is difficult to estimate the financial damage from invasive species but one study concluded that invasive fish have had \u201cpernicious ecological and economic impacts on both aquatic ecosystems and human societies.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/sup> A comprehensive database<\/a>[4]<\/a><\/sup> of known costs up to 2017 indicates global costs of US$1.28 trillion for all reported terrestrial and aquatic invasive species, with ongoing costs to Canada of at least $580 million per year from only aquatic invasive species.[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the volume of vessel traffic in Canadian waters continues to grow \u2013 particularly in sensitive areas such as the Arctic \u2013 there is an increasing need to understand the devastating impacts of these foreign species and limit their introduction and spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more:<\/strong> The Government of Canada\u2019s approach to managing aquatic invasive species<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n