The remains of the Japanese ship where the yellowtail were found. (Photo: NOAA)
Yellowtail jack cross the Pacific in Japanese vessel debris
(UNITED STATES, 3/1/2018)
In April 2015, four years after the tsunami and earthquake that affected Japan, a derelict Japanese vessel was discovered on the Oregon Coast with twenty-one yellowtail jack in the hold of the vessel, but the fish were not a species normally found on the U.S. West Coast.
Researchers from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Oregon Coast Aquarium, and Oregon State University recently determined that the yellowtail jack (Seriola aureovittata) were actually of Japanese origin, reported NOAA.
Scientists speculate that the yellowtail jacks entered the hold of the vessel as juveniles while the debris was still off the shores of Japan. They grew too large to escape the vessel as it journeyed across the Pacific. The adult yellowtail jacks were malnourished when found, indicating that they had not had access to the outside environment.
The researchers gathered genetic data from 8 of the 21 yellowtail jack. These genetic data were then compared to the genetic sequences of the three yellowtail jack species: S. aureovittata (western Pacific), S. dorsalis (eastern Pacific), and S. lalandi (southern hemisphere).
The researchers concluded that the yellowtail jack found within the vessel were S. aureovittata, the species native to Japan.
NOAA highlights that while these fish commonly find shelter in drift kelp and other floating objects far out at sea, the considerable distance the fish traveled makes it a particularly uncommon and interesting event.
Moreover, it points out that this incident provides a prime example of long-distance rafting and illustrates the possibility of introducing an invasive species into a new environment.
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