Scientists hit Beverly in search for invasive species | CPT PPP Coverage

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BEVERLY — Sharks aren’t the only bothersome life forms moving into local waters. On a sunny Wednesday morning, a team of scientists descended on the Beverly waterfront to look for much more obscure species that present a danger in their own right.

About 30 volunteer scientists spread out over the recreational marina in Beverly to search for new marine species invading the New England coast. Lying face down on the marina docks, they used nets, plastic bags and their hands to collect samples from the water as part of a project to detect potential new species that could adversely affect the marine ecosystem.

“We do this to kind of take the pulse of an area to see if any changes in new species are showing up,” said Tom Trott, one of the volunteer scientists.

The visit to Beverly was part of a survey coordinated by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. The scientists traveled to Wells, Maine, before coming to Beverly on Wednesday, and will visit marinas in Westport, Fairhaven, Sandwich and Buzzards Bay on Thursday and Friday. They spend an hour taking samples at each location.

This is the seventh time the survey has been conducted since 2000, including in Salem in 2018, and the first time it’s been done in Beverly.

Animals, plants and algae become invasive when they are introduced to an area outside of their native range by human activity, such as on ship hulls or through accidental releases from fishing and aquaculture, according to Coastal Zone Management.

When those species spread, they can crowd out or prey on native species that naturally occur in the area, changing the coastal ecology and generating significant economic impact, particularly in the fishing industry.

As an example, Judy Pederson, a retired MIT Sea Grant scientist, laid face down on one of the ramps to point out a species of marine animal called Didemnum vexillum — also known by the less academic nicknames pancake batter and sea vomit — that she said are feeding on mussels and competing with native species.

“You can’t see it very well, but it’s changing the ecosystem,” she said.

Climate change is worsening the problem, with warming oceans forcing some species out of their native area, scientists said.

A team of divers was scheduled to assist in the Beverly search, but the water quality from Tuesday’s rainstorm prevented that.

The samples collected in Beverly and the other sites will be taken to a lab for accurate identification, a process that can take months. Previous surveys have identified new species, such as the Rock Shrimp, and documented the northward expansion of a species of red seaweed, said Adrienne Pappal, the habitat and water quality program manager for Coastal Zone Management.

Pappal, who lives in Beverly, said she was excited to see the survey come to her city for the first time.

“It’s hard to get the scientists off the dock because there are so many exciting things to see,” she said.

Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.