Perforation with and without vinegar injection as a mitigation strategy against two invasive tunicates, Ciona intestinalis and Styela clava

Ciona intestinalis and Styela clava, two nuisance species for Prince Edward Island’s blue mussel industry, were treated with individual perforations using nails or hypodermic needles. Other treatments using the same species included simultaneous perforations using perforation devices with low, medium and high needle density, either with or without vinegar injections. Mortality levels estimated for all ranges of individual perforations were significantly higher than mortality levels estimated in control groups during treatments conducted at laboratory facilities. Mortality of C. intestinalis reached 100% for 60 individual perforations or injection of 0.05 mL of vinegar. In S. clava, 100 individual perforations resulted in 100% mortality. Two applications of the high-density perforation device resulted in 80% mortality of C. intestinalis. During field testing, two applications of the same high-density needle device did not significantly decrease C. intestinalis wet weight, regardless of the addition of vinegar. The field applicability of perforation upon tunicates fouling mussel socks was at least in part limited by the uneven surface created by the mussels and the possible inhibition of bacterial growth caused by low water temperatures. Perforation and vinegar injection showed to be successful in laboratory trials and should be further studied with different perforation devices under field conditions.