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Biofoulers Global Management Costs the US $277 Million Annually
Anyone that has spent time at a seaside pier has witnessed the destruction barnacles wreak on boat hulls. But biofouling animals are not limited to marine environments. A new paper published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment estimates that the global management of freshwater mussels, clams, and other clinging animals costs $277 million US dollars annually.
Biofoulers are organisms that accumulate underwater on hard surfaces, to the detriment of property and economically important activities, such as shipping, power generation, and water treatment. While plants and algae can act as freshwater biofoulers, the study focused on the impact of animals. Eleven groups known to cause problems were investigated, among them mussels, clams, snails, crustaceans, sponges, and insects.
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