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New tunicate species appear, threaten mussel farms
Island mussel growers have found two new invasive species in Savage Harbour. They are already dealing with the clubbed tunicate. Now it appears two new types of tunicate are in the water.
Tunicate does not hurt humans, the various species attach themselves to the mussels and need to be cleaned away before the seafood can be sold.
Mussel growers have already taken steps to slow the clubbed tunicate.
Richard Gallant, who is with the province's aquaculture department, said the recently discovered green star tunicate, and violet tunicate form a leather-like covering on the mussels.
Gallant said research into the biology of the tunicate would help the industry figure out how to slow down their spread.
In 2001, the federal fisheries department put some measures in place to help slow the spread of the clubbed tunicate.
However, he said slowing the spread of the tunicate is about all that mussel growers can hope for.
"I can't say that we would ever eliminate the spread to new areas, because water from Savage Harbour mixes with water from other estuaries on the north shore, boat traffic is shared between these areas and of course shellfish movement and other movements of fish go out of that area."
Once the mussels are harvested, the growers have to use high powered washing equipment to rid the seafood's shells of tunicate.
"It's a new invasive species that they haven't seen before and they don't know very much about. And it seems like it came on fairly suddenly, so we don't know what the spread of it will be like," explained Jean MacDonald of the P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance.
The alliance said it hoped to have some research back before the mussel growers start moving around the province's bays this spring | 
