September 15, 2013 — A foot-long invasive shrimp species could pose big problems for the US shrimping industry.
A foot-long invasive shrimp species could pose big problems for the US shrimping industry.
No one seems to know for sure how Asian tiger shrimp got here, but this particular crustacean has caught the attention of scientists and commercial fisheries. Unlike regular shrimp who are scavengers, the Asian variety is a predator that feeds on other sea creatures (such as other crabs, clams, and other shrimp), thereby raising the possibility of destabilizing the undersea environment. Perhaps more troubling, Asian tiger shrimp are apparently much more prone to disease than other crustaceans.
The Wall Street Journal suggests that the Asian species could interfere with commercial shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico: “Adult tiger shrimp, whose native habitat stretches from southern Japan through Southeast Asia to South Africa, are known for distinctive black stripes, can grow to the length of a man’s arm and weigh as much as a pound. While the monster shrimp are just as edible as U.S. shrimp, marine scientists are trying to figure out whether they will upset local ecosystems and possibly supplant smaller brown and white shrimp, mainstays of the U.S. shrimping industry.”
Read the full story and watch the video at The Inquisitr