Invasive species spotted in Tees estuary oyster pots
Ms Power said: "There was one species this month that we were less pleased to see - a leathery sea squirt."We have reported it and got rid of it."Leathery sea squirt, or styela clava, pose a threat to oyster and mussel farming by out-competing shellfish for food and space.
However, she said there were positive finds during the inspection including the "amazing growth" of the oysters and other marine life."Apart from the oysters, we found six fish, including a scorpionfish and butterfish, the tiniest baby scallop we've ever seen, a little, long clawed porcelain crab which we rarely see and lots of squat lobsters and prawns," Ms Powers said. Seagrass and oysters were once present in the estuary but were lost due to a combination of over exploitation and deteriorating water quality.A single oyster can filter 150 litres of water a day through its gills helping to remove contaminants while seagrass can absorb carbon from water and provide small fish with valuable feeding grounds.Experts believe the two species would form a coastal defence, with oyster reefs and seagrass meadows helping to keep sediment stable and prevent coastal erosion.In the longer term, conservationists hope to use stones, gravel and broken scallop shells - known as "cultch" - to line the river bed and provide the right habitat for oysters.
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