HomeMy WebLinkAbout20260623 Invasive_Exotic species in Cape watersCommunication with Dr. C. Tepolt, WHOI, Woods Hole, MA
Good day Dr. Tepolt,
Old colleagues of mine, Carin Ashjian and Anne Giblin, recommended you for a quick
professional question I have:
Roughly how many exotic species that could potential pose an invasive threat either to
ecosystem functioning or cost to human activities have come to the Cape's shores?
My educated guess is that somewhere between 2-10 species have made "landfall", but a
quick estimate on your part would be appreciated.
below see my note to them:
good day Anne and Carin
Might one of you be able to direct me to someone at MBL or WHOI who I could talk to
regarding invasive exotic species that have been IDed within the Cape's coastal waters? I
am trying to bring into a Dock/pier application decision before Town of Barnstable's
Conservation Commission (on which I sit) that non-native vertical surfaces pose a colonizing
benefit to some undesirable organisms.
Thank you in advance for any help you might give,
Pete Sampou, Ph.D. URI Oceanography, TOB Conservation Commision
Dr. Tepolt’s reply
Hi, Pete --
There are quite a few! The state is tracking at least 22 marine invaders which are fairly
well-established - only slightly fewer if you're only interested in biofouling species that might
grow directly on pilings, etc. Most (maybe all) of those 22 species are present on the Cape.
I'd point you to the Mass marine invasive species site, which is quite helpful:
https://www.mass.gov/marine-invasive-species-program
Note that the 22 species highlighted are only the ones considered established - there are
more that have been identified as early / potential introductions by the Rapid Assessment
Surveys. I'm aware of an oyster and a few barnacles that aren't listed but are present on the
Cape, and I'm sure there are more.
Certainly any marine infrastructure will be attractive to a rich biofouling community, including
a lot of invasive and cryptogenic (= maybe invasive but not sure) species.
Happy to chat more if helpful, but I hope this is a useful starting place!
Cheers & good luck!
Carolyn