Clean Ocean Advocate, August 2006
COASTAL CREATURE FEATURE
The June creature was the Japanese Shore Crab. If you have spent time on rock jetties at Jersey Shore beaches, you have probably seen this species crawling around in the intertidal zone (between the high and low tide line) eating algae, marsh grass, and small invertebrates. This crab is non-native (not from the area) and is aggressively expanding its range and displacing native (local) green and mud crabs. New Jersey was the first to report the presence of this crab in 1988; its range now extends from Maine to North Carolina. The Pacific crab probably arrived in the US in the bilge/ballast water of a large ship. There were no correct entries for June’s creature.
August Creature: Eat your greens at the Jersey Shore! That’s right! Both humans and livestock in many parts of Asia and Britain consume this common marine alga. In the US, the bright green alga grows in thin, wispy fronds along sandy and rocky shorelines and estuarine waters. Maybe if more American’s ate this species, we could keep its rapid growth in check and prevent it from choking out other algae and sea grasses. To enter for a chance to win a COA T-shirt, send your guess for the August Creature by mail, fax, or e-mail (PO Box 505, Sandy Hook, NJ 07732; FAX 732-872-8041; Education@CleanOceanAction.org).
(Coastal Creature Feature appears every other month in the Clean Ocean Advocate.)
