CZM Marine Invasive Species Publications

Find summaries of and links to these publications developed by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM).

Marine invasive species are organisms that are introduced to a new location by human activity and can harm the environment, economy, or public health. These non-native species can alter the coastal ecosystems and the economy of Massachusetts. For example, the green crab (Carcinus maenas) can devastate eelgrass beds and predate on commercially important shellfish. To promote understanding, effective monitoring, and management of these species, CZM has published or provided funding for the publications described below, which are listed under the following categories:

See the Marine Invasive Species Program for details on CZM efforts to monitor and reduce the spread of invasive species in coastal waters and CZM Publications for the full list of materials published by CZM.

(Note: Any views or opinions presented in publications prepared for CZM are solely those of the author[s] and do not necessarily represent those of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Please see our website policies.)

General Information on Marine Invasive Species

• Marine Invasive Species - State of the Gulf of Maine Report (PDF) - This paper, written by CZM and published in 2010 by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, provides a review of established marine invasive species in the Gulf of Maine and describes impacts, vectors, emerging threats, and management responses.
• Defending Massachusetts Against Biological Invaders - This article on page 33 of the Summer 2002 Coastlines (PDF) provides an overview of the marine aquatic species issue.

Species Profiles

• “Completing the journey in the global north: the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) (Bivalvia: Veneridae) arrives in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean” - Published in the journal Biological Invasions in 2026, this research paper—co-authored by a collaborative team of researchers, resource managers, and shellfish harvesters, including CZM—documents the establishment of the Manila clam in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and solidifies evidence of reproducing populations. Publication contributors include Antioch University, Center for Coastal Studies, Chatham Shellfish Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and MIT Sea Grant, Northeastern University, Salem Sound Coastwatch, Smith College, University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst, University of Rhode Island, Williams College, and Woods Hole Sea Grant/Cape Cod Cooperative Extension.
• BLOG: Profile of a Marine Invasive Species - Meet the Spaghetti Bryozoan - The potentially invasive Amathia verticillata, also known as the Spaghetti Bryozoan, is described in detail in this blog post written by a CZM summer intern in 2023.
• BLOG: Not from Around Here - Green Crabs (originally posted on the EEA Mass Great Outdoor Blog on August 22, 2014) - A CZM intern explains her experience participating in a summer field project surveying green crab populations in the salt marsh.

Management

• Managing Seaweed Accumulations on Recreational Beaches (PDF) - This guidance published by CZM in 2013 was developed to help local officials and beach managers effectively address seaweed accumulations on recreational beaches while protecting coastal resources. It focuses on how seaweed is a natural and important part of the marine ecosystem, but when accumulations occur on recreational beaches, conflicts can arise that need to be addressed.
• Massachusetts Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan (PDF) - In 2002, the Aquatic Invasive Species Working Group—a partnership of state, federal, and nonprofit managers—released this plan to manage threats from aquatic invaders. Major components of the plan include a description of existing state and federal authorities and programs, a focus on the impacts of invasive species and management priorities, management objectives and actions, a five-year strategy, and an implementation timeline.

Identification

• Identification Cards - To help detect and monitor marine invasive species, CZM developed species identification cards for 22 established marine invaders in New England.
• Non-Native Seaweed in Massachusetts (PDF) - Published by CZM in 2013, this fact sheet summarizes information on invasive seaweed species in Massachusetts, their ecology, and potential impacts to the marine ecosystem and economy.

Monitoring

• Monitoring for Marine Invasive Species: Guidance and Protocols for Volunteer Monitoring Groups (PDF) - Published in 2011, this is the primary guidance document for CZM’s Marine Invader Monitoring and Information Collaborative (MIMIC), a network of community groups and citizens that use a standard monitoring protocol to survey for marine invasive species. The document includes information on site selection, monitoring protocols, safety, and identification resources.
• MIMIC Story Map - This story map, launched in 2019, provides photos and descriptions of monitored species, maps of where each species has been observed, and additional information.
• MIMIC 2025 Year in Review Report (PDF) - In 2026, CZM published the first annual MIMIC Year in Review Report to summarize findings of the 2025 monitoring season. This report includes an overview of the monitoring season, data summaries by region, information on an emerging invasive species, and more.

Rapid Assessment Surveys

• 2023 Rapid Assessment Survey: Non-Native, Native, and Cryptogenic Marine Species at Maine and Massachusetts Marinas (PDF) - Published by CZM in 2025, this report summarizes the results of the 2023 Rapid Assessment Survey (RAS). Through this survey, CZM staff and a team of scientific experts visited nine marinas from Casco Bay, Maine, to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, to observe, identify, and record native, non-native, and cryptogenic species (species with unresolved origins) found on floating docks and piers.
• Report on the 2018 Rapid Assessment Survey of Introduced, Cryptogenic, and Native Marine Species at New England Marinas: Massachusetts to Maine (PDF) - This CZM report published in 2020 summarizes the results of the 2018 RAS of eight sites from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, to Casco Bay, Maine.
• Report on the 2013 Rapid Assessment Survey of Marine Species at New England Bays and Harbors (PDF) - This 2014 CZM report summarizes the results of the 2013 RAS at 18 sites from Rhode Island to Maine.
• Report on the 2010 Rapid Assessment Survey of Marine Species at New England Floating Docks and Rocky Shores (PDF) - Published by CZM in 2013, this report summarizes the results of the 2010 RAS at 20 sites from Rhode Island to Maine.
• Marine Invaders of the Northeast (PDF) - This 2003 report published by the MIT Sea Grant College Program summarizes the results of the 2003 Rapid Assessment Survey at 20 sites from New York to Maine.
• There Goes the Neighborhood: The 2003 Northeast Invasive Species Survey - This article on page 56 of the Winter 2004/2005 Coastlines (PDF) discusses the August 2003 rapid assessment survey of invasive marine species conducted along the Massachusetts coastline.
• Flickr Photo Album for the 2018 Rapid Assessment Survey - Find photos of work conducted and specimens found at this survey of sites from Massachusetts to Maine.

Impacts

• Codium Up, Eelgrass Down: Invasives Impact Buzzards Bay - This article on page 59 of the 2007 Coastlines (PDF) discusses the impact of the invasive Codium alga on eelgrass habitat.

Prevention

• CZ-Tip - Learn to Spot, and Deal with, the Aliens in Our Midst - This web page discusses steps that citizens can take to reduce the spread of invasive species.