Images: Tsunami Boat Ecosystem

Tsunami Debris Fish

Small fish found on tsunami boat — (Image credit: Travis Haring (WDFW))

A small fish found aboard a boat that washed ashore in Washington state on March 22, 2013. The boat was a Japanese skiff that may have been set loose by the 2011 Japan tsunami.

Boat Organisms

Organisms from the Japan tsunami boat — (Image credit: Allen Pleus (WDFW))

The small boat held many stowaways. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife invasive species expert Allen Pleus estimates that the boat will turn out to contain between 30 and 50 Japanese coastal species.

Tsunami Crab

This crab was aboard the derelict Japanese skiff.

Scallop and More

Japanese boat organisms — (Image credit: Allen Pleus (WDFW))

The organisms found aboard the boat likely established themselves after the tsunami, while the skiff was still floating near the Japanese coast.

Fish Tank

Striped beakfish in Japanese boat — (Image credit: Allen Pleus (WDFW))

A submerged compartment in the back of the boat provided a refuge for five striped beakfish.

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Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.