Invasive Tunicate Found in the San Juan Islands

Think scotch broom of the sea and you get the idea. They have a tendency to smother shellfish, thus decimating the resource.

An excerpt for the San Juan Islander states: "They are tunicates (called urochordates by scientists) and they normally filter water and feed on plankton. But invasive tunicates have the ability to completely cover over and smother native species. In November 2005 a small clump of Ciona savignyi was discovered at Sund Rock in Hood Canal; a year later there were thousands.:

San Juan Islander article is here.

Wikipedia info on tunicates is here.

(Ed. note: Thanks to BitterEnd reader Keith Pleas for passing this info on.)