Invasion
Invasion Description
1st Record: WA/Samish Bay (1905, Carlton 1979)
Geographic Extent
WA/Samish Bay (1905, Carlton 1979); WA/Padilla Bay (1932, de Rivera et al. 2005; Riggs 2011; 2000-2020, Kornbluth et al. 2022)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Oyster Intentional |
Regional Impacts
| Economic Impact | Fisheries | |
| Bellingham, Padilla and Samish Bays are areas of long-standing oyster culture and harvesting (Carlton 1979; http://www.taylorshellfishfarms.com/ourStore-oysters-samish-bay). | ||
| Ecological Impact | Parasite/Predator Vector | |
| Parasite-Predator vector- The introduction of M. gigas has been a possible/probable vector for a number of oyster foulers or predators in northern Puget Sound, including Pteropurpura (=Ocinebrellus) inornata (Japanese Oyster Drill), the flatworm Pseudostylochus ostreophagus, the parasitic copepod Mytilicola orientalis (widespread), the bryozoan Schizoporella japonica, and the tunicates Botrylloides violaceus, Didemnum vexillum and Styela clava (Carlton 1979; Cohen et al. 1998; Cohen et al. 2002). | ||