The African Register of Marine Species is a taxonomic database of marine species found along the African coasts. The database was originally developed as the Marine Species Database for Eastern Africa (MASDEA). It was extended thereafter to include species from the entire African coast.
The African Register of Marine Species aims to compile and manage an authoritative list of species occurring along the African marine coasts. It is intended to be used as support for biodiversity research for conservation and sustainable management of marine environment.
The list currently includes species belonging mostly to mollusks, sponges and decapods which had been updated from data mining workshops conducted by ODINAFRICA. Currently the focus is on addition of other taxonomic groups such as fish, phytoplankton and zooplankton.