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Article: Sea squirts pose threat in prime fishing ground east of Cape Cod, Mass.
- Article from:
- Cape Cod Times (Hyannis, MA)
- Article date:
- November 19, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Cape Cod Times. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Doug Fraser
Nov. 19--WOODS HOLE, Mass. -- They're slimy, little creatures that reproduce rapidly, and they appear to be flourishing on Georges Bank.
Last year, a team of scientists found a thick mat of tunicates, small vertebrate animals that colonized the sea bottom, on a 6-square-mile section of Georges Bank. This year, scientists from Woods Hole and Rhode Island looked at a much larger area than before and found that the animals covered at least 40 square miles of bottom.
Known as sea squirts, these animals are just a little more than a half-inch long, but congregate in colonies that form thick mats, smothering sea life on the ocean ...