FROM THE FIELD: Stopping aquatic hitchhikers to safeguard environments at sea

A plan to protect the global marine environment from the dangers of non-indigenous invasive aquatic species has been launched by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Photo: Biofouling Solutions | A commercial diver undertakes an in-water vessel inspection using surface supply with communications and a CCTV camera. (25 April 2011) 

The transfer of sea life including plants, crustaceans and micro-organisms - largely on the hulls of ships - from one part of the world to another, has increased alongside the growth of the global shipping industry. 

But now the UN has got together with a number of countries in an attempt to prevent what is called ”bio-fouling”, an issue which not only effects the marine ecosystems but also the communities which depend on those environments for their livelihoods.

Read more here on stopping unwanted marine hitchhikers.