9 Invasive Ocean Species (PHOTOS)

Aquatic species travel to distant, foreign habitats through a variety of different means. Some cling to the underside of marine vessels, others stow away in the ballasts of ships, while many are intentionally transported by humans for aquaculture, aquariums, or even as pets. While most non-native species are harmless, there are those that cause catastrophic ecological and economical problems, known as invasive species. Scientists believe that environments stressed by human disturbance are more vulnerable to invasive species.

Check out these 9 invasive species of the ocean, selected from the Global Invasive Species Database's 100 Of The World's Worst Invasive Alien Species.

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Shore Crab

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Also known as the European Green Crab, the Shore Crab is a ravenous predator with a wide tolerance for varied environments. Native to the north-east Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea, this crab has spread to areas in Australia, South Africa, South America, and both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. The Shore Crab has dramatic effects on fisheries, aquaculture, and the ecosystems of the areas it invades. It is estimated to cause $22 million dollars of damage each year in the United States.

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Also known as the European Green Crab, the Shore Crab is a ravenous predator with a wide tolerance for varied environments. Native to the north-east Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea, this crab has spread to areas in Australia, South Africa, South America, and both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. The Shore Crab has dramatic effects on fisheries, aquaculture, and the ecosystems of the areas it invades. It is estimated to cause $22 million dollars of damage each year in the United States.

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Comments

[LyssaBarnes]

04:26 PM on 04/03/2010

Let's eat!

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

11:40 AM on 04/02/2010

Mmmmmm..... plank grilled steelhead trout and wakame on the side..... YUM-O!!! Let's do our part to save the eco system people........ steelhead trout and wakame at least once a week. There's steelhead salad, steelhead sandwich, poached steelhead, fried steelhead, grilled steelhead, broiled steelhead, smoked steelhead (my favorite), and of course, steelhead stuffe with one of the above crabs!

Not only are wild species more delicious, but they are healthier for us.... and seaweed, is one of the healthiest.

Does anyone know if the steelhead is in the CHAR family, like the rainbow trout, or is that a mix of salmon and trout? Whichever it is..... I'm going to start looking for these two invaders for my menu more often!!

[sonoffestus]

02:40 AM on 04/06/2010

A Steelhead is a "sea run" rainbow trout.

A Rainbow trout will travel to the sea live for 2 to 3 years and then returns to the rivers to spawn like a salmon. They get real big while at sea and return as a great sport fish. The PNW and BC have excellent steelhead runs.

Yes, Char is a great tasting fish, most found at marketscome from Icelandic fish farms. More like salmon than rainbow or steelhead. Steelhead is good eating as well.

Try native( wild) brook trout (they are generally very small) and eggs for breakfast one day, excellent!

[Madhyamika]

10:40 AM on 04/02/2010

Humans and even different "human cultures and traditions" can be viewed as "Invasive species" too. When the Spaniards and Portuguese went to South America, the natives were wiped out either by the armies or by infectious diseases that they have no immunity in their body.

Closer to our time, many European countries are concerned about the impact of foreign customs and traditions that will change the old European cultural flavor forever. Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland etc are all in the news recently for reacting to this kind of "invasive species" effect.

[turboturd]

03:12 AM on 04/04/2010

Self Hating Humanoid!

[rf dude]

10:38 AM on 04/02/2010

Last time I indulged in some Asian Clams,

I got a bad case of Chinese Mitten Crabs...

[Imasqre]

10:53 AM on 04/02/2010

lol!

[Bushdepression]

10:07 AM on 04/02/2010

More of a threat is the species Homo Central Americanus which has been know to reproduce at a startlingly high rate and to exclude native cultures.

[KarateKid]

09:50 AM on 04/02/2010

Wakame salad....yummmmm.

[RoscoePColtrane]

09:32 AM on 04/02/2010

BTW..I've eaten these and they are quite good. Chinese New Year dinner seems to always feature a big stack of these Mitten Crabs.

[RoscoePColtrane]

09:29 AM on 04/02/2010

Ooh..the Chinese Mitten Crab is considered a local delicacy here in Taiwan. They are wildly popular in Eastern China too. 'Mittens' command BIG bucks for them when in season here.

Here's Wiki's article on them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mitten_crab

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

11:42 AM on 04/02/2010

Awesome! How would I get my hands on some..... I suspect any area with a heavy Asian population would have these yummies! I am looking forward to balancing the eco system.

[katielady]

08:57 AM on 04/02/2010

can we eat it????? we can kill this off, as we have other overfished areas...

[didereaux]

09:27 AM on 04/02/2010

Simply spread the word that this crab is an 'aphrodisiac' and the Asians will eat it into extinction in less than 20 years.

[LastTexasRose]

07:09 PM on 04/02/2010

Tell the Japanese that all of the 9 species are endangered and that they can't harvest them, they will quickly start harvesting all of them and in a few years there won't be enough of any of them left to cause a problem.

[vet-of4renwarz]

09:34 AM on 04/02/2010

That's what i was thinking...instead of eating items on low reserves, eat the over populated ones...

The 'killer algae' does have a toxin, but if i remember correctly, the amount is too small to be dangerous to human... there is a slug that can eat it without being infected. However, scientists are debating rather to release large amount of said slug to get rid of the killer algae...or potentially creating another slug problem in the future...