“Beyond protecting benthic habitats, this discovery is one of the reasons why our L-TRAP project is so exciting,” said Dr. Sarah Crosby, director of conservation and policy at The Maritime Aquarium. “There is so much that we don’t know about the bottom of the ocean, including which animals are living right here in our backyard. This project is allowing us to study the biodiversity of the Long Island Sound ecosystem like never before.”
Known as the European nudibranch, Doris pseudoargus, the tiny yellow specimen was discovered in the Black Ledge region of the Sound, off the coast of Groton. This finding of Doris pseudoargus is the most southern discovery of the species in North America, according to the Maritime Aquarium.
“When I first noticed the nudibranch on the lobster trap, it looked entirely different from any other animal I had seen being pulled up,” said Rebha Raviraj, the conservation research assistant at Maritime Aquarium. “With a striking yellow body and interesting feeding behavior observed on the trap, this creature immediately seemed unique.”
Doris pseudoargus feed entirely on sponges and are mostly commonly found in European waters; however, in 2017, a Doris pseudoargus was found off the coast of Cape Ann, Massachusetts.
“The appearance of this large predatory European seaslug in southern New England may have important repercussions for native sponge populations, but studies will be required to document impacts,” said Dr. James T. Carlton, a Williams College professor emeritus of marine studies. “Native sponge populations are important consumers of bacteria and can host large populations of small crustaceans and worms that are important in fish diets. Retrieving abandoned lobster traps in Long Island Sound has revealed important new insights into the Sound’s marine life.”
The Maritime Aquarium is currently studying the Doris pseudoargus to evaluate the impacts its presence may have on the Sound ecology.
The Lobster Trap Recovery and Assessment Partnership, known as L-TRAP, is a conservation project involving the Maritime Aquarium, Save the Sound, Project Oceanology, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Remote Ecologist, and local fishers. So far, the team has removed over 1,000 lobster traps that disrupt the habitats across the Sound.
The expeditions are funded by a $569,000 federal grant that the aquarium and partners received in 2022 with the goal of recovering 3,000 traps.
It’s estimated that the Sound contains 800,000 to 1.2 million abandoned traps that disrupt the ecosystem and bottom habitat, leading to declines in lobster, crab, and fish populations. During storms, the traps can interfere with the navigation and work of fisheries. Old traps can also leach harmful chemicals into the water as the coating wears off and gears break down.
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December 17, 2023 at 05:10PM
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Rare species found in Long Island Sound abandoned lobster trap - Thehour.com
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