Potier, Beth

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices4-2-2013UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘SeaPotato’ Seaweed Into New EnglandBeth PotierUNH Media RelationsFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationPotier, Beth, "UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New England" (2013). UNH Today. 4217.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/42172/20/2018 UNH News: UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New Englandhttp://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2013/apr/bp03sea.cfm.html 1/2“Sea potato” growing on rockweed on AllenIsland, Maine Credit: Lauren Stockwell .April 2, 2013UNH Scien sts Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New EnglandDURHAM, N.H. – There’s a new seaweed in town, a brown,bulbous balloon beﬁ ng the nickname “sea potato.” Its NewEngland debut was spo ed by two University of New Hampshireplant biology graduate students; now researchers are keeping aclose eye on the sea potato’s progress to determine whether thereis cause for alarm.UNH graduate students Lindsay Green and Hannah Traggisdiscovered the rapid southern expansion of Colpomenia peregrina,also known as sea potato or oyster thief, during a SCUBA divingtrip in Ki ery, Maine, in the summer of 2011. “We saw this bigbrown beach ball,” says Traggis, who co-authored a study of theirﬁndings in the journal Botanica Marina.The seaweed was documented in Nova Sco a in the 1960s but never on the U.S. Atlan c coast un l Green andTraggis’s diving trip in 2011. In the paper, the authors explain that when they reevaluated photographs sentfrom concerned individuals in mid-coastal Maine, they conﬁrmed that the seaweed had appeared there in2010. In the summer of 2012, the sea potato had spread as far south as Sandwich, Mass., on the north shore ofCape Cod.“It’s just blown up,” says Green, a Ph.D. student from Piermont. “It’s expanded all the way to the Cape in justtwo years.” While C. peregrina prefers cooler waters, the researchers an cipate that it could extend its rangefarther south.Ranging in size from just a few cen meters to the size of a soccer ball, the sea potato is a greenish to yellowishbrown sac that ﬁlls with air or water. It is epiphy c – it grows on other plants – and it’s quickly becomeprominent in the rocky inter dal zone of the Gulf of Maine a ached to common seaweeds like rockweed orCorallina oﬃcinalis, also known as coral weed.Colpomenia peregrina looks strikingly similar to a na ve species, Leathesia marina, or sea cauliﬂower. Seapotato, however, is smoother, thinner and greenish-light brown while sea cauliﬂower tends to be smaller,s ﬀer, brain-like and dark brown; the researchers turned to microscopy and DNA analysis to make a deﬁni veiden ﬁca on. Traggis and Green are quick to characterize the sea potato as an introduced, not invasive, species in NewEngland waters. Nonetheless, its rapid expansion into the Gulf of Maine raises concern. The seaweed earned its“oyster thief” nickname a er its introduc on to France in the early 1900s led to signiﬁcant damage to theoyster industry.“The seaweed was like a balloon a ached to the oysters. Literally, whole oyster beds disappeared because theyﬂoated away,” says Traggis, a master’s student from Buzzards Bay, Mass. While no nega ve eﬀects have beenreported on New England’s shellﬁsh industry, the researchers note that the region’s oyster industry is valued at$117.6 million.Media Rela ons2/20/2018 UNH News: UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New Englandhttp://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2013/apr/bp03sea.cfm.html 2/2The researchers and other scien sts are keeping a close eye on C. peregrina for other ways it could alter thenatural community and na ve ﬂora. “It occurs in high density on many local seaweeds, and it’s compe ng withthem for space, nutrients and light,” says Green. “In the summer it’s becoming a bit of a nuisance.”As the warming days bring more people to New England’s shoreline, “we want people to know that this is hereand that there are researchers interested in learning about it,” says Green, adding that while there’s no needfor ci zens to eradicate the sea potato if they ﬁnd it, they shouldn’t move it around. They encouragebeachcombers – the natural beach balls are likely to a ract the curiosity of kids in par cular – to contact theDepartment of Marine Resources (Maine: h p://www.maine.gov/dmr/index.htm; New Hampshire:h p://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/marine/; Massachuse s: h p://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/) when they ﬁndC. peregrina.The paper, “Southern expansion of the brown alga Colpomenia peregrina Sauvageau (Scytosiphonales) in theNorthwest Atlan c Ocean,” was published in the December 2012 issue of Botanica Marina. Green was leadauthor; in addi on to Traggis, co-authors were UNH professors of plant biology Arthur Mathieson andChristopher Neefus, and Clinton Dawes of UNH’s Jackson Estuarine Laboratory and the University of SouthFlorida. The project was supported by the NH Sea Grant College Program and received par al funding from theNew Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Sta on at UNH.The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of aNew England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's ﬂagship publicins tu on, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students. Photographs available to download:h p://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/apr/colpomenia2.jpg Cap on: University of New Hampshire graduate student Hannah Traggis holds Colpomenia peregrina found atFort Stark in New Castle in April 2012 Credit: Hannah Traggish p://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/apr/rockweed.png “Sea potato” growing on rockweed on Allen Island, Maine Credit: Lauren Stockwellh p://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/apr/colpomenia.jpg This C. peregrina, or “sea potato,” collected from the Isles of Shoals in Maine and New Hampshire illustrates itssize range Credit: Lindsay Green -30-Media Contact: Beth Po er | 603-862-1566 | UNH Media Rela ons | @unhnewsCopyright © 2018, The University of New Hampshire  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  UNH main directory: (603) 862-1234. Media Rela ons is a unit of Communica ons & Public Aﬀairs which is a division of University Advancement. ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the Webmaster | UNH Today | UNH Social Media Index

UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New England

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Media Relations Administrative Offices
4-2-2013
UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea
Potato’ Seaweed Into New England
Beth Potier
UNH Media Relations
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Potier, Beth, "UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New England" (2013). UNH Today. 4217.
https://scholars.unh.edu/news/4217
2/20/2018 UNH News: UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New England
http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2013/apr/bp03sea.cfm.html 1/2
“Sea potato” growing on rockweed on Allen
Island, Maine Credit: Lauren Stockwell .
April 2, 2013
UNH Scien sts Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New England
DURHAM, N.H. – There’s a new seaweed in town, a brown,
bulbous balloon befi ng the nickname “sea potato.” Its New
England debut was spo ed by two University of New Hampshire
plant biology graduate students; now researchers are keeping a
close eye on the sea potato’s progress to determine whether there
is cause for alarm.
UNH graduate students Lindsay Green and Hannah Traggis
discovered the rapid southern expansion of Colpomenia peregrina,
also known as sea potato or oyster thief, during a SCUBA diving
trip in Ki ery, Maine, in the summer of 2011. “We saw this big
brown beach ball,” says Traggis, who co-authored a study of their
findings in the journal Botanica Marina.
The seaweed was documented in Nova Sco a in the 1960s but never on the U.S. Atlan c coast un l Green and
Traggis’s diving trip in 2011. In the paper, the authors explain that when they reevaluated photographs sent
from concerned individuals in mid-coastal Maine, they confirmed that the seaweed had appeared there in
2010. In the summer of 2012, the sea potato had spread as far south as Sandwich, Mass., on the north shore of
Cape Cod.
“It’s just blown up,” says Green, a Ph.D. student from Piermont. “It’s expanded all the way to the Cape in just
two years.” While C. peregrina prefers cooler waters, the researchers an cipate that it could extend its range
farther south.
Ranging in size from just a few cen meters to the size of a soccer ball, the sea potato is a greenish to yellowish
brown sac that fills with air or water. It is epiphy c – it grows on other plants – and it’s quickly become
prominent in the rocky inter dal zone of the Gulf of Maine a ached to common seaweeds like rockweed or
Corallina officinalis, also known as coral weed.
Colpomenia peregrina looks strikingly similar to a na ve species, Leathesia marina, or sea cauliflower. Sea
potato, however, is smoother, thinner and greenish-light brown while sea cauliflower tends to be smaller,
s ffer, brain-like and dark brown; the researchers turned to microscopy and DNA analysis to make a defini ve
iden fica on. 
Traggis and Green are quick to characterize the sea potato as an introduced, not invasive, species in New
England waters. Nonetheless, its rapid expansion into the Gulf of Maine raises concern. The seaweed earned its
“oyster thief” nickname a er its introduc on to France in the early 1900s led to significant damage to the
oyster industry.
“The seaweed was like a balloon a ached to the oysters. Literally, whole oyster beds disappeared because they
floated away,” says Traggis, a master’s student from Buzzards Bay, Mass. While no nega ve effects have been
reported on New England’s shellfish industry, the researchers note that the region’s oyster industry is valued at
$117.6 million.
Media Rela ons
2/20/2018 UNH News: UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New England
http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/releases/2013/apr/bp03sea.cfm.html 2/2
The researchers and other scien sts are keeping a close eye on C. peregrina for other ways it could alter the
natural community and na ve flora. “It occurs in high density on many local seaweeds, and it’s compe ng with
them for space, nutrients and light,” says Green. “In the summer it’s becoming a bit of a nuisance.”
As the warming days bring more people to New England’s shoreline, “we want people to know that this is here
and that there are researchers interested in learning about it,” says Green, adding that while there’s no need
for ci zens to eradicate the sea potato if they find it, they shouldn’t move it around. They encourage
beachcombers – the natural beach balls are likely to a ract the curiosity of kids in par cular – to contact the
Department of Marine Resources (Maine: h p://www.maine.gov/dmr/index.htm; New Hampshire:
h p://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/marine/; Massachuse s: h p://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/) when they find
C. peregrina.
The paper, “Southern expansion of the brown alga Colpomenia peregrina Sauvageau (Scytosiphonales) in the
Northwest Atlan c Ocean,” was published in the December 2012 issue of Botanica Marina. Green was lead
author; in addi on to Traggis, co-authors were UNH professors of plant biology Arthur Mathieson and
Christopher Neefus, and Clinton Dawes of UNH’s Jackson Estuarine Laboratory and the University of South
Florida. The project was supported by the NH Sea Grant College Program and received par al funding from the
New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Sta on at UNH.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a
New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public
ins tu on, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
 
Photographs available to download:
h p://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/apr/colpomenia2.jpg
 Cap on: University of New Hampshire graduate student Hannah Traggis holds Colpomenia peregrina found at
Fort Stark in New Castle in April 2012
 Credit: Hannah Traggis
h p://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/apr/rockweed.png
 “Sea potato” growing on rockweed on Allen Island, Maine
 Credit: Lauren Stockwell
h p://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/apr/colpomenia.jpg
 This C. peregrina, or “sea potato,” collected from the Isles of Shoals in Maine and New Hampshire illustrates its
size range
 Credit: Lindsay Green
 -30-
Media Contact: Beth Po er | 603-862-1566 | UNH Media Rela ons | @unhnews
Copyright © 2018, The University of New Hampshire  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  UNH main directory: (603) 862-1234. 
Media Rela ons is a unit of Communica ons & Public Affairs which is a division of University Advancement. 
ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the Webmaster | UNH Today | UNH Social Media Index


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UNH Scientists Document First Expansion of ‘Sea Potato’ Seaweed Into New England

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