The "orange spots" have been found in crab larvae "across the northern Gulf coast, from southwestern Louisiana to Pensacola, Fla." While long term implications are unknown, the spots are currently at a "barely visible stage" according to researchers.
The larval stage is one of the several stages of development for the crab -- "After hatching close to shore, crab larvae drift into open waters and go through several stages. While only about a tenth of an inch long, they move back toward the coastal estuaries where they grow to adulthood."
Harriet Perry, a biologist with the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, said that the crab are a "keystone species" and this discovery has "implications for the entire Gulf food chain because the larvae are prey for many kinds of fish as well as raccoons and endangered whooping cranes."
Vice President Biden announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will partner to test seafood and determine which areas are safe for fishing, according to a report by USA Today.
To read the Associated Press story, click here.
To read the USA Today story, click here.
To read the Miami Herald story, click here.
Posted: 07/05/2010
