Tag Archives: tunicates

Lobsterman discovers sea squirts on his traps

Tunicates-Lobstering-SMR-23-1200x795It’s no secret that the waters of the Gulf of Maine are getting warmer. Although many fishermen say that this summer the water around Downeast Maine has been colder than in recent years, according to data compiled by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, from 2004 to 2013, water surface temperatures rose faster in the Gulf of Maine than in 99.9 percent of the global ocean. Cold or warm, this year strange critters have made themselves at home in local waters, some of them apparently settling in Downeast Maine for the first time. Read the article here 19:02

Sea squirt invasion destroying N.S. mussel industry – Slimy creatures attach themselves to mussels and rob them of nutrients

Invasive tunicates — also known as sea squirts — are slimy creatures that attach themselves to mussels and either rob the shellfish of nutrients and water, or literally rip the mussels off the socks with their sheer weight. They are invertebrates that look like giant orange slugs. continued@cbcnews