Volunteers at the Whittier Slug-Out learned about Alaska’s invasive species and helped mitigate European black slugs near a popular cove on Prince William Sound.
"This year I walked along the same route after a rainstorm and see only one or two — sometimes none"
Thousands of euphausiid shrimp, the species identified here in Resurrection Bay as Thysanoessa spinifera. were washed into the intertidal zone and on the beach near Whittier
Last week, Alaska became one of at least 32 states to report finding zebra mussels in a product called moss balls which were sold at local pet stores.
A squat lobster (Munida quadrispina) was pulled up in a shrimp pot placed in Prince William Sound, which is not a common event. Squat lobsters are commonly found in Southeast Alaska during ADF&G shrimp survey pots and in scallop dredge surveys near Yakutat, Kayak Island, Kachemak Bay, and Kodiak.
“They’ve been in Cordova for over 30 years. They’re just starting to be reported and sighted in other places. We have confirmed sightings in Whittier, in Girdwood, in Chenega Bay, in Eshamy Bay and one of the hatcheries out in the sound has reported them.”
Resident becomes sick after consuming oysters and wonders what is being done to prevent future outbreaks of V parahaemolyticus, this new climate related illness in Alaska.
The European black slug was first introduced into Alaska in the 1980s in Cordova, Slowik said. It eventually made its way to Juneau and Ketchikan, likely hitching a ride on fishing gear, and is now prevalent across Southeast. A few years ago, people started seeing the slug in Whittier and Girdwood.
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