Alex Goo, 12, of Federal Way, holds a fi stful of invasive club tunicates he helped remove from under the docks and fl oats at Pleasant Harbor Marina on a cold November day. / Toni Droscher, Action Team

On a cold, rainy and thoroughly miserable day in early November 2005, two-dozen volunteer divers spent hours removing clumps of the highly invasive “club tunicate” from the docks at Pleasant Harbor Marina on northern Hood Canal .

While club tunicates (Styela clava) pose little threat to docks or boats beyond being a nuisance, they can potentially move into and take over shellfish areas and marine habitats.

After removing nearly half a ton of the troublesome tunicates, divers discovered the tunicate invasion was far more extensive than a day’s dive could tackle. They ended the day by marking boats and other areas where tunicates were taking hold.

Additional research prompted the Action Team staff to coordinate an emergency funding request in January, which will enable the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to take immediate steps to eradicate known populations of tunicates. So far, three marinas have been infested: Pleasant Harbor, Neah Bay and Blaine .

Seeing the urgency of the situation, Gov. Chris Gregoire made $75,000 available from her emergency fund and added $175,000 at the last minute to her proposed $42 million supplemental budget for Puget Sound . The funding will go to identifying and mapping new locations of club tunicates.

In 2005, Washington Sea Grant sponsored a series of educational workshops for divers around Puget Sound to learn how to identify and safely remove club tunicates from floats and pilings.

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