- Tybee residents invited to participate in sea level rise, coastal flooding preparations
- Apply now for the 2013-2014 Georgia Sea Grant Marine Education Internships
- EcoFocus Film Festival expands to Jekyll Island
- Georgia Sea Grant issues 2014-2015 Request for Proposals
- Apply now for the 2014 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
- Tybee government begins planning for rising seas
- Reading Between the Lines: Marine Debris Education for Children in Georgia
- University of Georgia and Georgia Sea Grant help Tybee Island prepare for potentially rising seas
Invasive species pose a major threat to coastal ecosystems.
Invasive Species
Aquatic Invaders Toolkit
The Aquatic Invaders Toolkit provides zoo and aquarium educators with diverse and interactive 20-minute programs on the introduction and spread of invasive species. Intended for audiences of all ages, the toolkit focuses on the concept of invasive species as a threat to natural ecosystems, as well as the identification of distinct “pathways” by which the general public may unknowingly introduce these species or encourage their spread.
Funded through the National Sea Grant College Program, the Aquatic Invaders Toolkit was created by Georgia Sea Grant, the Association of Zoo and Aquarium (AZA), North Carolina Sea Grant, North Carolina Aquariums and the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service. The kit contains props and background material for educators to present the short program, as well as information to develop longer programs about the invasive species problem. The toolkit has been distributed to more than 200 AZA-accredited institutes nationwide.
© Paul Erickson, photographer
To learn more about the Aquatic Invaders Toolkit, visit the fantastic Nab the Aquatic Invader website (developed by the Illinois-Indiana, Wisconsin and New York Sea Grant programs).
Asian Tiger Shrimp
In October 2011, Georgia Sea Grant, the University of Georgia Marine Extension (MAREX) and the Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division began working with shrimpers to track the breeding of Asian Tiger Shrimp in Georgia waters. The campaign to collect tiger prawns included handing “Wanted” posters on docks and in bait shops, as well as analyzing the data of where Asian Tiger Shrimp are being caught.
Asian Tiger Shrimp are big and black with whitish-yellow stripes. They grow to roughly three times the size of a typical Georgia white shrimp. If tiger prawns become invasive, they could compete with local native shrimp or spread disease.
If you catch a tiger prawn, please freeze it, record the date/location of where it was caught and contact Lindsey Parker with UGA MAREX at 912-264-7331 or lparker@uga.edu.
