ECTIP Blog 3

 ECTIP Blog 3

Through my research I composed a document of research about Chinese mitten crabs as the invasive species and the long snouted seahorse as the native species. I believed that the seahorse would be a good choice as they are a stunning creature who many would be surprised to find out that they're native to the uk and Portsmouth. They are poor swimmers due to only the use of the dorsal fin to swim, with the need to eat 40-50 times a day it is difficult in the fairest habitats, however invasive species such as the mitten crab destroy the environments of seahorses making it more difficult to survive. Chinese mitten crabs have come over to the Uk for the last century and have built a strong population causing millions in damage in Europe by burrowing up to 2 feet into river banks as well as in the ocean as the ocean for miles. 

A great deal of this information I found on the Seahorse trust website, which carries out annual surveys of seahorse populations and research. This credible source allowed me to find statistics and figures that would support our decision to choose the seahorse as the main character and gave us information to incorporate into the game. In terms of the invasive species topic we found it important that an interesting native species that is susceptible to invasive species and at a vital time as climate change is believed to inevitably drive the seahorses to Scandinavia with rising sea temperatures the cause. 

The research on the mitten crab I focused on how to identify them and the damage they cause, through their hairy claws they are unique and easy to spot, they are also omnivorous meaning they eat any matter, plant or animal. This also contributes to the reduction of food for the native species as well as their previously mentioned burrowing causing damage to habitats