We report the invasion of the Gulf of Maine, in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, by the largest red seaweed in the world, the
Asian
Grateloupia turuturu. First detected in 1994 in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, south of Cape Cod, this alga had expanded its range in the following
years only over to Long Island and into Long Island Sound. In July 2007 we found
Grateloupia in the Cape Cod Canal and as far north (east) as Boston, Massachusetts, establishing its presence in the Gulf of Maine.
Grateloupia can be invasive and may be capable of disrupting low intertidal and shallow subtidal seaweeds. The plant's broad physiological
tolerances suggest that it will be able to expand possibly as far north as the Bay of Fundy. We predict its continued spread
in North America and around the world, noting that its arrival in the major international port of Boston may now launch
G. turuturu on to new global shipping corridors.
Keywords
Grateloupia
- Seaweed invasions - Invasive algae - Gulf of Maine