Data Reporting

If you are monitoring with a coordinating organization, they will share the data you collect with the Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species (NEANS) Panel and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), using the MarineID or Marine Invader Database. MarineID can be downloaded from the website www.marineID.org. A tutorial can also be downloaded from the “contribute data” page.

The MIT Sea Grant Center for Coastal Resources also has a database that
is keeping track of marine introduced species. They are asking the public to complete an online Hitchhiker Reporting Submission Form.

To Report your Findings, you will need to have the following information:

Location:

• Latitude and longitude in decimal degrees
• City, county, state
• Water body (Gloucester Harbor, Salem Sound)
• Hydrological unit (bay, estuary, tidal river, open ocean, pond, canal)
• Habitat type (bay, pier, floating dock, marina, rocky shore, eelgrass bed)

Observation details:

• Date and time
• Surface salinity and surface water temperature (not required)

• Scientific name
• Abundance (rare, uncommon, common, abundant)

For the Hitchhiker Reporting Submission Form, you will also need to know Size of the Specimen(s):

• > 1 Inch 1.1-2.5 inches
• .5-5 inches
• 5-10 inches
• larger than 10 inches