Fish and wildlife officers catch bryozoan colony in Thunder Bay nets
ALPENA, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – A large, clear yellowish, glob located in Michigan's Thunder Bay along Lake Huron may "look strange," but U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff was pleased to share its findings with the public anyway.
The Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office posted on social media this week a picture and report on a bryozoan colony that its crew happened to catch in a net.
"Bryozoans are tiny animals, no larger than 4 millimeters wide. They float alone for a time but eventually form colonies, working together for mutual benefit. They filter feed on algae and diatoms from the water using tentacles," the wildlife service explained.
"These colonies commonly attached to rocks, underwater branches, or even boats. They grow throughout the warm season reaching their largest size in the fall then dying in the winter. Although they look strange (and feel gross), they are native and harmless to our waters."
The Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office is based in Alpena; the agency works to rehabilitate and stock native species, detect and monitor invasive species and provides fishery assistance. Its crews work in the area of Lake Huron, western Lake Erie, and the connecting waterways from St. Marys River, St. Clair River and Detroit River.