Project UFO: The Search for Alien Invaders

Project UFO (Unidentified Foreign Organisms) is NOT about alien invaders from outer space, but it IS about earthly alien invaders that pose a threat to our local ecosystems.

Project UFO (http://www.ProjectUFO.ca) is an exciting public outreach and research initiative on Cape Breton Island involving scientists, research assistants, and students at Cape Breton University (CBU). Our goal is to increase public awareness concerning the invasive alien species that threaten our regional ecosystems. The primary objectives are to better understand the status of invasive species in Cape Breton and to inform environmental stakeholders about the best way to prevent the introduction or spread of these alien invaders.

Project UFO is also a partnership between CBU and community groups such as the Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) Cape Breton, and interested individuals such as SCUBA divers and kayak/ecotour guides. We have received much support to date from community groups and local volunteers and we would like to encourage anyone who is interested in this project to contact us at: info@ProjectUFO.ca

Our team is currently working on a multitude of exciting research activities.  Projects include: censusing invasive sea squirts with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans stewardship program, conducting surveys of crab larva recruitment, investigating seasonal changes in zooplankton assemblages, aliens on the beach surveys, and assessing the prevalence of the exotic swimbladder parasite in American eels throughout Cape Breton Island.