 http://faculty.washington.edu/bjswalla/) |
Asian Stalked Sea Squirt, Pacific Rough Sea Squirt (Styela clava) These sea squirts are characterized by their brown or yellow, rough and wrinkled surface. They can grow to be about 6" (15 cm) tall and can be found on lobster pots, pilings, and fishing nets. This species of sea squirts is native to Japan. It may have been carried to New England waters from Europe (where it arrived in the early 1950s) in ballast water or ship fouling. It appeared in Narragansett Bay in 1976, and spread rapidly through the region by the early 1980's. Since then it has taken over the native species and has become a pest to boaters and fishermen. |