Updated: Monday, 15 Jun 2009, 8:01 AM EDT
Published : Monday, 15 Jun 2009, 8:01 AM EDT
SANDWICH, Mass. (AP) - Some New England waters are seeing a huge increase in the number
of starfish roaming the sea floor, and marine scientists aren't
sure exactly why.
But fishermen who harvest the region's shellfish are
concerned that starfish -- properly known as sea stars -- could
affect business because of their insatiable appetite for oysters,
scallops, clams and mussels.
Peter Melanson, owner of the Sakonnet Oyster Co. Inc. in
Little Compton, R.I., tells The Boston Globe that shellfish drive
sea stars "crazy."
Terry O'Neil, a Massachusetts marine fisheries biologist,
says sea star populations are cyclical, driven by the availability
of food and weather.
Melanson says better pollution control has led to an
increase in all species, which he sees as a positive.