Invasive species cause substantial impacts on industry, fisheries, human health, and our local environments. There are over 500 non-native species that occur in the coastal oceans of the US, and the number continues to rise, making the study of marine invasions both important and urgent. Through a decades-long research investment, and long-standing partnerships, including in Alaska, the Marine Invasions Research Program at the Smithsonian Institution is working to expand knowledge, capacity, and domestic and international partnerships, to address this grand challenge and mobilize science into action. Dr. Freestone, Managing Director of the Marine Invasions Research Program, will provide an overview of this challenge, what the current science tells us about global marine invasions, and the key questions moving forward. She will also highlight the Smithsonian’s ongoing research in Alaska and the state’s unique role as a bellwether for high-latitude invasions.

Photo taken by Natasha Gray Hitchcock/SERC in Cordova, Alaska