A cement float hit US shores this week, bringing nearly 100
tonnes of sea life with it from Asia. Researchers were surprised
to discover that the debris onboard -- part of the predicted 1.3
million tonnes expected to arrive along the US coastline
following the 2011 Japanese tsunami -- was made up almost
exclusively of species from Asia, with few new creatures adopted
along the 8,850km journey to the US. The float itself is one of
four that were ripped from the fishing port of Misawa when the
tsunami struck in March -- it was not seen again, until
onlookers spotted it floating at sea earlier this week. "This
float is an island unlike any transoceanic debris we have John
Chapman of Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science
Centre said in a statement. "It is as if the float drifted over
here by hugging the coasts, but that is of course impossible.
Life on the open ocean, while drifting, may be more gentle for
these organisms than we initially suspected. Invertebrates can
survive for months without food a