The Marine Aliens project is run by a research groups consortium co-ordinated by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).
It aims to publicise research and educational projects, and to provide information for users of inshore waters, including leisure boaters, divers and fishermen.
A key area of concern involves hull fouling, where marine organisms attach themselves to boats in one part of the world and are carried to another.
Marinas have already been identified as places where species such as seaweeds, sea squirts, crustaceans and molluscs first get a foothold in a new environment, before spreading from there.
The carpet sea squirt, for instance, has been identified as representing a particularly strong threat to native species on English and Scottish coasts.
It can blanket mooring chains, pontoons and aquaculture equipment, and will smother areas of seabed in a way that forces out native species.
The website both informs and invites feedback from marine observers.
Go to www.marlin.ac.uk/marine_aliens.
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