Never Seen Before, Invasive Sea Squirt Species Arrives In New Brunswick - Direct Threat To Shellfish

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An aquatic invasive species never seen before in New Brunswick has been spotted on the Acadian Peninsula. Michel Poitras, an oyster harvester who teaches aquaculture at the Caraquet campus of the New Brunswick Community College, says the golden star tunicate he discovered off Caraquet earlier this month is worrisome.

Tunicates enrobe mollusks and suffocate them, leading to high mortality rates among shellfish, he said.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is investigating the situation to determine how the species got here, and how extensive the problem is.

A DFO spokesman says a meeting will be held later this week to come up with a battle plan for fighting off the small, damaging invaders. Aquaculturist Gaétan Dugas said the federal and provincial governments are not doing enough to keep harvesters informed, with no phone calls or emails coming yet to explain the situation.

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http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/11/nb-golden-star-tunicate-caraquet.html?ref=rss