Tenerife Port Fights Invasive Species Amid Coral Threat
Tenerife's Port Authority has launched a two-year, €49,440 environmental monitoring program to combat invasive foreign marine species, a growing threat exacerbated by busy ship traffic and previous findings of 33 non-native species in Santa Cruz de Tenerife's waters.
The Port Authority in Tenerife's capital is stepping up efforts to prevent invasive foreign sea creatures from entering its waters, a direct response to the busy ship traffic handled by the port.
To achieve this, they have hired the Atlantic Environmental Research Center (Centro de Investigaciones Medioambientales del Atlántico). This company will run an environmental monitoring program for two years, costing 49,440 euros.
This service involves fieldwork, lab tests, and office work. Its main goal is to spot non-native marine species early and identify any that are already invasive or could become invasive, so they can be tracked.
They will set up 30 sampling stations along the port's entire coastline. These stations will be placed in various port structures like docks, basins, jetties, and breakwaters, across six specific areas: North – Sebadales de San Andrés; Fishing Basin; East Basin; Anaga Basin; Los Llanos Basin; and South Zone/ La Hondura.
Ports are complex environments with many different habitats, making them ideal places for foreign species to settle. To deal with this threat, it's crucial not only to monitor these species but also to analyze how likely they are to become invasive.
The goal of managing invasive foreign species, or those that could become invasive, is to reduce risks to local wildlife, human health, well-being, and the economy.
A 2019 study by the Canary Islands Government's Environment department found 33 foreign species in and around the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Of these, 19 were non-native, mostly invertebrates (animals without backbones). The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) noted in its 2025 environmental report that ships often carry these foreign species from one place to another. They can stick to the outside of a ship's hull or be carried in its tanks, known as ballast water.
That same report stated that in 2017, shipping activities were responsible for introducing 60% of all foreign species and 56% of invasive foreign species into the sea. While the overall number of foreign species keeps rising, the introduction of invasive foreign species has actually dropped since its peak between 2002 and 2005.
The report also highlighted the positive impact of the International Convention for the Management of Ballast Water, which came into effect in 2017. By 2023, 31% of ships already held an International Ballast Water Management Certificate.
A recent study by the University of La Laguna's Bioecomac research group shows why this monitoring and control is so important. They found an invasive coral in the ports of Tenerife and Gran Canaria that threatens the islands' marine ecosystems.
This coral, called Tubastraea coccinea, comes from the Pacific Ocean and is highly invasive. If it spreads, it could push out other invertebrates, algae, and native species, changing marine communities and upsetting the balance of the ecosystems.