Asian seaweed threatening local sea life off Sweden
AFP for Yahoo News
July 22, 2004
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - A red seaweed from Asia, previously unknown in Scandinavian waters, has been spreading fast off parts of the Swedish coast.
The algae, best known by its Latin name of Gracilaria asiatica, has spread with great speed through waters off the southwestern port of Gothenburg and has also been reported off the coasts of Denmark and Norway, the Dagens Nyheter newspaper said Thursday.
Gracilaria asiatica tends to drive out local marine plants, and therefore threatens the animal species that feed on them, the paper said.
Young Filipino children dry red seaweed. A red seaweed from Asia, previously unknown in Scandinavian waters, has been spreading fast off parts of the Swedish coast.(AFP File photo by Jay Directo)
It said the plant had first been detected in Swedish waters last year.
Marine biologists quoted by the paper said they were not sure how the plant had arrived in Scandinavia, but they thought it could have travelled in water taken on as ballast by ships in Asia, and then jettisoned in local waters. Alternatively, it could simply have arrived attached to the hulls of ships from Asia, or drifted via ocean currents.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...nment_sweden_asia_maritime_algae_040722115721
AFP for Yahoo News
July 22, 2004
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - A red seaweed from Asia, previously unknown in Scandinavian waters, has been spreading fast off parts of the Swedish coast.
The algae, best known by its Latin name of Gracilaria asiatica, has spread with great speed through waters off the southwestern port of Gothenburg and has also been reported off the coasts of Denmark and Norway, the Dagens Nyheter newspaper said Thursday.
Gracilaria asiatica tends to drive out local marine plants, and therefore threatens the animal species that feed on them, the paper said.
Young Filipino children dry red seaweed. A red seaweed from Asia, previously unknown in Scandinavian waters, has been spreading fast off parts of the Swedish coast.(AFP File photo by Jay Directo)
It said the plant had first been detected in Swedish waters last year.
Marine biologists quoted by the paper said they were not sure how the plant had arrived in Scandinavia, but they thought it could have travelled in water taken on as ballast by ships in Asia, and then jettisoned in local waters. Alternatively, it could simply have arrived attached to the hulls of ships from Asia, or drifted via ocean currents.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...nment_sweden_asia_maritime_algae_040722115721
