Principal Investigator: Sara Stahlman, The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania Sea Grant
Years Funded: 2014-2015; 2024-2025.
Project Description:
Identifying new infestations before they have a chance to become established is critical to controlling and eradicating aquatic invasive species (AIS). The Pennsylvania Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species was developed by Pennsylvania Sea Grant with funding from the Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species (MAPAIS) to support natural resource agency staff with accurate AIS identification. Building on the success and widespread use of the original guide, this was expanded into The Mid-Atlantic Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species. First developed in 2015, the guide featured 100 AIS species across aquatic and wetland plants, fish, algae, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, invertebrates, and pathogens. These species represent key concerns for New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
In 2024, MAPAIS again funded Pennsylvania Sea Grant to update the Mid-Atlantic Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species, to ensure ADA compliance, and add five additional species of concern. To further increase accessibility and usability, Pennsylvania Sea Grant also developed two companion smartphone applications, one for Android and one for iPhone, providing the guide’s content in a digital, easily updated format. A second edition of the guide was released in 2025.
The guide includes detailed information to support identification efforts, including distinguishing characteristics, similar species, habitat, distribution maps, environmental impacts, and photographs.
Publication:
The guide is free to download as a pdf file.
Mobile Apps:
Photo: Pennsylvania Sea Grant Invasive Species Exhibit Credit: Sara Stahlman, Pennsylvania Sea Grant