• CMIST was designed for and tested with marine invertebrates, its theoretical basis and general questions makes it suitable for other organisms.
• Screening-level risk assessments in CMIST are designed to be completed in 1–2 days including collection of information and answering questions.
• Assessors should have good general knowledge on invasive species and, ideally, the assessment area and species being assessed.
• Prior to assessment, background information on the selected species that pertains to CMIST questions should be collated from available resources and quickly reviewed.
• Assessors should always use their best judgement when interpreting questions, answers, and guidance for the selected species, which will likely not have species or taxon-specific examples.
• Assessors should read the manual before completing any assessments to ensure consistency with guidance.

Download the CMIST Manual

Download CMIST
Macros must be enabled by the user for the tool to function properly. See here for information on enabling macros.

To submit an assessment to the CMIST database, please ensure that all sections of the tool are complete then send MS Excel files as attachments to DFO.CESDDataRequest-DSECDemandededonnes.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.