Cannibal Shrimp Sightings Rise Prompts Scientific Look At Invasion Concerns

Cannibal Shrimp (USGS)

Cannibal shrimp (Asian tiger shrimp) sightings off the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts have increased, prompting government scientists to launch research efforts to determine its cause as invasion is being feared.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have discovered that there were more than 10 times as many sightings of the Cannibal shrimp in the said areas in 2011 than there were in 2010.

"We can confirm there was nearly a tenfold jump in reports of Asian tiger shrimp in 2011," USGS Biologist Pam Fuller, the head of the agency's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database, said in a statement. "And they are probably even more prevalent than reports suggest, because the more fisherman and other locals become accustomed to seeing them, the less likely they are to report them."

NOAA researchers are reportedly working with various state agencies to examine this phenomenon and to understand more about the biology of these shrimp and how they may affect the ecology of native fisheries and coastal ecosystems. They worry that the species is preying on the smaller, native sea life, competing for resources and carrying disease.

"The Asian tiger shrimp represents yet another potential marine invader capable of altering fragile marine ecosystems," said NOAA marine ecologist James Morris. "Our efforts will include assessments of the biology and ecology of this non-native species and attempts to predict impacts to economically and ecologically important species of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico."

The shrimp can grow 13 inches long and weigh a quarter-pound, compared to eight inches and a bit over an ounce for domestic shrimp. While the potentially worrisome terms "giant" and "cannibal" are being used to describe the crustacean, it does not pose any actual threat to humans. In fact, it can be eaten by humans.