Biofouling data from underwater surveys of commercial ships in Canada

Ship biofouling is a major vector for the introduction and spread of harmful marine species globally. Comprehensive underwater sampling and video recording of ship hulls was conducted to assess biofouling extent (percent cover, total abundance and species richness) on a subset of ships arriving to Canadian waters. The dataset includes underwater biofouling assessments from 53 commercial ships arriving at Halifax, Nova Scotia (20 international ships), Vancouver, British Columbia (20 international ships) during 2007–2009, and Churchill, Manitoba (11 international and 2 domestic ships) in 2010–2011. Potential explanatory variables in the dataset include ship size, typical sailing speed, port residence time, age of antifouling coating system and travel history (number of biogeographic realms visisted, and average, minimum and maximum port latititude).