#replace clams...with the zebra mussels

[dootznbootz]

All I havee... is River,,,Too poor for dollar of the sand

I must fight the snails and fish...for the algae

You say you are crab. In bio, you promise others can become crab too. You lie. I have not seen the instructions on how to become crab. Right your wrong and teach us your ways, elder crab.

You're right Anon i have done wrong by the people, I should have told the way of Crab long ago so let me now. the first step of carcinization is to reject society and then you are half way there, and through careful consumption of Clams, Shrimp, barnacles, sand dollars, and algae your soft and feeble human body will evolve in the beautiful, shiny, tough exoskeleton of a crab I hope this helps young crabling

[xtruss]

The Longest-Living Animals on Earth

Tortoises Fon't Even Make the Top 10 Longest-Living Animals.

— By Patrick Pester | Live Science

The animal kingdom boasts some incredibly long lifespans that far exceed the average human's. While humans may have an "absolute limit" of 150 years, this is just a blink of an eye compared with the centuries and millennia that some animals live through; and some animals can even stop or reverse the aging process altogether.

Although there are very long-living land animals (the oldest tortoise, for example, is nearly 190 years old), none of them make this list — the true age champions all live in water. From old to oldest, here are 10 of the longest-living animals in the world today.

1. BOWHEAD WHALE: POTENTIALLY 200+ YEARS OLD

Aerial view of a bowhead whale in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia. (Image credit: by wildestanimal via Getty Images)

Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) are the longest living mammals. The Arctic and subarctic whales' exact lifespan is unknown but stone harpoon tips found in some harvested individuals prove that they comfortably live over 100 years, and may live more than 200 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The whales have mutations in a gene called ERCC1, which is involved with repairing damaged DNA, that may help protect the whales from cancer, a potential cause of death. Furthermore, another gene, called PCNA, has a section that has been duplicated. This gene is involved in cell growth and repair, and the duplication could slow aging, Live Science previously reported.

2. ROUGHEYE ROCKFISH: 200+ YEARS OLD

A vermilion rockfish swimming off the coast of California. This is a relative of the long-lived rougheye rockfish but not the same species. (Image credit: Brent Durand via Getty Images)

Rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus) are one of the longest living fish and have a maximum lifespan of at least 205 years, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. These pink or brownish fish live in the Pacific Ocean from California to Japan. They grow up to 38 inches (97 centimeters) long and eat other animals such as shrimp and smaller fish, according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent advisory panel that assesses the status of species threatened with extinction in Canada.

3. FRESHWATER PEARL MUSSEL: 250+ YEARS OLD

Freshwater mussels from the Margaritifera genus. (Image credit: Irfan M Nur/Shutterstock.com)

Freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) are bivalves that filter particles of food from the water. They mainly live in rivers and streams and can be found in Europe and North America, including the U.S. and Canada. The oldest known freshwater pearl mussel was 280 years old, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These invertebrates have long lifespans thanks to their low metabolism.

Freshwater pearl mussels are an endangered species. Their population is declining due to a variety of human-related factors, including damage and changes to the river habitats they depend on, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

4. GREENLAND SHARK: 272+ YEARS OLD

Greenland shark swimming with isolated on black background. (Image credit: dotted zebra / Alamy Stock Photo)

Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) live deep in the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. They can grow to be 24 feet (7.3 meters) long and have a diet that includes a variety of other animals, including fish and marine mammals such as seals, according to the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory in Canada.

A 2016 study of Greenland shark eye tissue, published in the journal Science, estimated that these sharks can have a maximum lifespan of at least 272 years. The biggest shark in that study was estimated to be about 392 years old, and the researchers suggested that the sharks could possibly have been as much as 512 years old, Live Science previously reported. The age estimates came with a degree of uncertainty, but even the lowest estimate of 272 years still makes these sharks the longest living vertebrates on Earth.

5. TUBEWORM: 300+ YEARS OLD

Tubeworms on the ocean floor. (Image credit: Ralph White via Getty Images)

Tubeworms are invertebrates that have long lifespans in the cold, stable environment of the deep sea. A 2017 study published in the journal The Science of Nature found that Escarpia laminata, a species of tubeworm living on the ocean floor in the Gulf of Mexico, regularly lives up to 200 years, and some specimens survive for more than 300 years. Tubeworms have a low death rate with few natural threats, such as a lack of predators, which has helped them evolve to have such long lifespans.

6. OCEAN QUAHOG CLAM: 500+ YEARS OLD

A quahog clam on a beach in Cape Cod in Massachusetts. (Image credit: Gabe Dubois/Shutterstock.com)

Ocean quahog clams (Arctica islandica) inhabit the North Atlantic Ocean. This saltwater species can live even longer than the other bivalve in this list, the freshwater pearl mussels. One ocean quahog clam found off the coast of Iceland in 2006 was 507 years old, according to National Museum Wales in the U.K. The ancient clam was nicknamed Ming as it was born in 1499 when the Ming Dynasty ruled China (from 1368 to 1644).

7. BLACK CORAL: 4,000+ YEARS OLD

Black coral bushes on a reef. (Image credit: Mike Workman/Shutterstock.com)

Corals look like colorful, underwater rocks and plants, but they are actually made up of the exoskeletons of invertebrates called polyps. These polyps continually multiply and replace themselves by creating a genetically identical copy, which over time causes the coral exoskeleton structure to grow bigger and bigger. Corals are therefore made up of multiple identical organisms rather than being a single organism, like Greenland sharks or ocean quahog clams, so a coral's lifespan is more of a team effort.

Corals can live for hundreds of years or more, but deep-water black corals (Leiopathes sp.) are among the longest-living corals. Black coral specimens found off the coast of Hawaii have been measured to be 4,265 years old, Live Science previously reported.

8. GLASS SPONGE: 10,000+ YEARS OLD

An illustration of sponges, including Monorhaphis chuni (labeled 2 on the left). (Image credit: History and Art Collection/Alamy Stock Photo)

Sponges are made up of colonies of animals, similar to corals, and can also live for thousands of years. Glass sponges are among the longest living sponges on Earth. Members of this group are often found in the deep ocean and have skeletons that resemble glass, hence their name, according to NOAA. A 2012 study published in the journal Chemical Geology estimated that a glass sponge belonging to the species Monorhaphis chuni was about 11,000 years old. Other sponge species may be able to live even longer.

9. TURRITOPSIS DOHRNII: POTENTIALLY IMMORTAL

A Turritopsis immortal jellyfish off the coast of Palm Beach in Florida. (Image credit: Blue Planet Archive/Alamy Stock Photo)

Turritopsis dohrnii are called immortal jellyfish because they can potentially live forever. Jellyfish start life as larvae, before establishing themselves on the seafloor and transforming into polyps. These polyps then produce free-swimming medusas, or jellyfish. Mature Turritopsis dohrnii are special in that they can turn back into polyps if they are physically damaged or starving, according to the American Museum of Natural History, and then later return to their jellyfish state.

The jellyfish, which are native to the Mediterranean Sea, can repeat this feat of reversing their life cycle multiple times and therefore may never die of old age under the right conditions, according to the Natural History Museum in London. Turritopsis dohrnii are tiny — less than 0.2 inches (4.5 millimeters) across — and are eaten by other animals such as fish or may die by other means, thus preventing them from actually achieving immortality.

10. HYDRA: ALSO POTENTIALLY IMMORTAL

A photo of a Hydra, the small invertebrates that could be immortal. (Image credit: Choksawatdikorn/Shutterstock.com)

Hydra is a group of small invertebrates with soft bodies that look a bit like jellyfish. Like Turritopsis dohrnii, Hydras also have the potential to live forever. Hydras don't show signs of deteriorating with age, Live Science previously reported. These invertebrates are largely made up of stem cells, which continually regenerate through duplication or cloning. Hydras don't live forever under natural conditions because of threats like predators and disease, but without these external threats, they could be immortal.

[i-janetsolomon-blog]

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By PAUL BRODIE | Commentary Sun, Oct 17 - 9:41 AM On March 23, 1752, the first edition of Canadas first newspaper, The Halifax Gazette, was published. There was mention of problems related to shipworm, a nuisance marine species that was actually a wood-boring clam. Adjustments to ship handling and cruising speeds, reduced cargo capacity, a need for larger crews and increased stone ballasting were some of the consequences of the infestation.

Now, 250 years later, invasive species are a global concern and inland waterways of North America are under threat.

At some stage, 90 per cent of all objects produced or processed by man are carried by ship. Ballast water, ranging from 1,000 to 100,000 tonnes, is carried by vessels to compensate for cargo, maintaining stability and hull integrity. About 100,000 ships carry ballast water worldwide. Ballast water is a mixture of water taken on at previous ports of call. Billions of tonnes of seawater are transported worldwide annually, containing thousands of foreign plant and animal species, quite apart from those attached to ships hulls.

Some survive to establish themselves in distant marine ecosystems, where they may compete with, prey upon, parasitize, or otherwise alter the habitat of local species.

After half a century of allowing transocean vessels, or salties, into the Great Lakes, it is questionable whether there has been a net benefit in bypassing ice-free deepwater ports such as Halifax and St. John. A disadvantage of direct delivery of cargo to and from inland ports is the importation of many of 182-plus foreign species, including the zebra mussel. Billions will eventually be spent on control measures. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) now requires that new vessels install ballast water treatment systems, and existing vessels to be retrofitted. It will be many years before this is achieved.

Given another chance, would we repeat these mistakes? Would we allow this to happen in the North?

Ice in the Northwest Passage was viewed as an impediment to vessels, just as it was to those entering the St.

Lawrence. Ice is essentially the seasonal roof of a marine greenhouse, contributing to marine production.

The walrus is an example of a large northern marine mammal that is specialized, suction feeding on clams.

Reliance on a narrow spectrum of prey carries risks should there be changes in climate, ice cover, or should the food base be affected by an introduced disease or parasite. The primary food base of walrus could be compromised by the introduction of foreign organisms via ballast water.

We may already have evidence that such a scenario is possible. In the Bras dOr Lakes of Cape Breton, it is most likely that bulk carriers from Chesapeake Bay entering the lakes to load gypsum may have expelled ballast water containing the single cell protozoan parasite MSX, which has devastated oyster production in the area.

Ballast water exchange will take place in the Northwest Passage as vessels trim for weather and changing ice conditions. Most existing vessels will not have any treatment system on board, relying solely on ballast water exchange while underway.

In theory, this requires a three-fold flushing of ballast systems. However this cannot be achieved, as the procedure is both dangerous and ineffective.

Designated sites in deep water for the exchange or flushing of ballast tanks are an interim measure.

On July 23, 2006, the 55,000-tonne auto carrier Cougar Ace, with 4,812 vehicles on board, rolled on its side off Alaska while attempting to transfer ballast water during a ballast flushing procedure at sea.

In April 2010, the Chinese-registered coal carrier Chen Neng One ran aground near a restricted area of the Great Barrier Reef while attempting a short cut. While concern was expressed over loss of fuel oil and structural damage to the UNESCO protected reef, there has been little consideration given to the potential for invasive species dumped into this complex ecosystem during the emergency emptying of ballast tanks to lighten the vessel for recovery. Time will tell.

Such incidents are possible in the Northwest Passage, considering the recent grounding of the cruise ship Clipper Adventurer in late August 2010 in three metres of water.

Vessels attempting to avoid such shoals may be carried onto them by shifting pack ice. In the past month, two Canadian oil tankers have run aground in the eastern Arctic. This is disturbing, considering the low frequency of vessels in the area.

No doubt, cargo vessels will exchange ballast water during the passage. While oil slicks and dumped bilge water might be immediately traced to a vessel by their chemical signature, it will take many years before we might correlate changes in habitat with a ballast dumping event.

The introduction of invasive species does have a long-lasting effect, more devastating than an oil spill or toxic dumping event. The question is not if it will happen, but when.

The savings in time and fuel, through the use of the Northwest Passage by foreign vessels, will eventually become too attractive. Canada has the responsibility to protect the inland waterways of our Arctic regions, and that includes polar wildlife.

Designated dumping sites and ballast tank flushing should be seen as halfmeasures. Diminishing ice cover in the Northwest Passage, once the controlling factor for shipping, must now be replaced by strict Canadian regulations.

Paul Brodie has researched marine mammals and consulted with shipping companies for decades. He lives in St. Margarets Bay.

============================================================================== This was just something I'd NEVER heard about---CRIPES! Transplanting alien aquatic creatures around the world-----not to mention organisms and bacteria, eggs, etc. And there's absolutely NO legal or even naval control of it. If you consider all the other we do, almost daily, to counteract the intrusion of foreign invasive species into protected aquatic areas--Consider THIS: It's the equivalent of the BP oil EVERY MONTH. [Yoiks!] xo