Geo 730: April 4, Day 459: Attachment Scars I

A variety of organisms colonized the concrete exterior of the dock while it rested in its home harbor in Japan. Many, if not most, of them survived their ride across the Pacific Ocean, a duration of about 15 months. This was unexpected. When the dock grounded at Agate Beach, it was heavily coated with these creatures. They were removed with a combination of scraping and pressurized steam. As I mentioned Sunday, my suspicion is that if they were truly aggressive invasive species, this effort may have been too little, too late. On the other hand, killing and removing them as quickly as possible does decrease the likelihood that a reproducing, expanding population can be established. So I'm not criticizing the effort, just pointing out that it guarantees nothing. Plus, I should state clearly, I'm not really any kind of authority on biology, let alone the niceties of invasive species from Japan that might become established in PNW coastal waters.

The only ones of these scars that I think I recognize with any confidence are the tubeworms. There are several good examples, lower left corner, a bit farther in from the upper left corner, and a third in the upper center.

Photo unmodified. July 10, 2012. FlashEarth location (approximate).