A conservation group found something shocking in an oyster pot, which is a nursery set up to help restore marine habitats.<\/p>\n
In place of local marine life, they discovered a “leathery” invasive species.<\/p>\n
What’s happening?<\/p>\n
During a recent inspection, the Tees Rivers Trust discovered a leathery sea squirt in the Tees Estuary, on the northeast coast of England, according to the BBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also known as Styela clava<\/a>, the sea squirt latches on to hard surfaces and quickly multiplies.<\/p>\n Once established, the invasive creature can smother oysters, mussels, and other crustaceans, outcompeting them for both food and habitat.<\/p>\n “There was one species this month that we were less pleased to see,” said program manager Judy Power. “We have reported it and got rid of it.”<\/p>\n Why is this important?<\/p>\n Invasive species, such as the leathery sea squirt, can cause serious trouble for both ecosystems and the people who depend on them.<\/p>\n Once they take hold, they displace oysters and mussels \u2014 species that normally keep water clean through filtration, support other marine life, and appear on our dinner plates.<\/p>\n When those local species vanish, it doesn’t just hurt the environment. It also puts local fisheries and food supplies at risk.<\/p>\n This problem isn’t exclusive to the Tees Estuary. Around the world, invasive plants and animals have thrown ecosystems out of balance.<\/p>\n Officials in Missouri and Kansas resorted to extreme measures to stop the spread of invasive carp, and feral hogs have destroyed farmland in Texas, costing communities millions.<\/p>\n Each instance of invasive species encroachment makes it harder to protect healthy habitats and maintain reliable food sources.<\/p>\n What’s being done about it?<\/p>\n The Tees Rivers Trust didn’t waste time \u2014 they removed the leathery sea squirt right away and reported the sighting.<\/p>\n Ongoing checks like these are crucial, but individuals can also take steps to prevent unwanted plants and animals from invading healthy habitats.<\/p>\n Cleaning boats, fishing gear, and other marine equipment thoroughly after traversing new waterways and coastlines helps prevent the spread of stowaway species.<\/p>\n At a broader level, projects are underway to give oysters and muscles a boost.<\/p>\n These shellfish aren’t just food \u2014 they continuously filter significant amounts of water and provide solid surfaces for other marine life to thrive.<\/p>\n Healthy native species make a big difference. Clearer rivers, sturdier shorelines, and steadier food supplies all result from the survival and health of these critical species.<\/p>\n People, wildlife, and communities all benefit, and even simple steps<\/a> can go a long way to keep these waterways in good shape.<\/p>\n In places like the U.K., efforts to rebuild oyster reefs have already made a difference, improving water quality and providing fish, crabs, and other species with a cleaner, healthier habitat.<\/p>\n Join our free newsletter<\/a> for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list<\/a> of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A conservation group found something shocking in an oyster pot, which is a nursery set up to help…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[4167,84354,20194,79,84352,84351,84353,201],"class_list":{"0":"post-133964","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-invasive-species","9":"tag-marine-habitats","10":"tag-marine-life","11":"tag-science","12":"tag-sea-squirt","13":"tag-tees-estuary","14":"tag-tees-rivers-trust","15":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}