The goal of the project was to identify any marine invasive species in Prince William Sound.
This final report provided the results of an analysis on the genes of plankton gathered in Port Valdez and Prince William Sound in 2018 and 2019.
For this project, the Council partnered with the Prince William Sound Science Center, who collected the samples, and Moss Landing Marine Laboratory in California, who conducted the genetic analysis.
The Council monitors for marine invasive species which could potentially arrive in ballast water or on the hull of the crude oil tankers arriving at the Valdez Marine Terminal These tankers dock in ports known to harbor marine invasive species. Some invasive species could cause significant economic and environmental harm if reproducing populations became established locally.