USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database Alert System: Five Years and Going Strong

Invasive Species Information Node (ISIN) partners at the USGS Southeast Ecological Research Station in Gainesville, FL, developers of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database (NAS), track the distribution of introduced aquatic organisms across the United States. In May 2004, the program developed an Alert System to notify registered users of new introductions as part of a national early detection/rapid response system. Users register to receive alerts based on geographic or taxonomic criteria. At the September meeting of the NBII Invasive Species Working Group, NAS manager and NBII partner Pam Fuller summarized the NAS alert system’s users and alerts by geography, taxonomy, year, alert level, and source of information.