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RARE RESULT: The dreaded Japanese sea urchin has been found in the port of Stavanger. Photo: Erling Svensen / Institute for Marine Research / NTB
The dreaded sea urchin Didemnum vexillum has been found in the port of Stavanger.
– The sea urchin covers a large area seven to twenty meters deep, including a beautiful rock face that is about to take over, says diver and photographer Erling Svensen, who encountered the sea urchin at Engøyholmen , not far from the Stavanger Diving Club.
The species quickly forms large colonies and has it completely covered by other species, reports the Institute for Marine Research.
Imagine a pancake that you throw on the ground. It looks a bit like that, says Svensen.
It is widespread in the Netherlands, France, Ireland, and the United Kingdom and probably originated in Japan. The species may have arrived in Stavanger recently.
– This Japanese sea urchin has great invasion potential and a great effect on the environment, explains marine scientist Vivian Husa.
He leads the project for mapping exotic species in the sea.
– The species has spread like wildfire throughout much of the world in recent years. We hope it can create problems for mussel growers by covering mussels, and for fish farms by growing in nets, he says.
The Marine Research Institute describes the species as “ferocious” and a pest.
– Didemnum vexillum is like a plague. We can only follow where it spreads, says the marine scientist.
Husa is not surprised that the sea urchin has now been confirmed in Norwegian waters.
– The port of Stavanger has a lot of ship traffic. Like many other exotic species, it has probably hitchhiked here growing on ship hulls, the researcher says.
