The influx of salp was discovered as part of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant’s routine monitoring system. Workers founds Hoards of the jellyfish-like creatures were clinging to the structure, leading to the shutdown of the plant.

A salp s a barrel-shaped, planktonic tunicate. It moves by contracting, thus pumping water through its gelatinous body. Although salps appear similar to jellyfish because of the simple body form and planktonic behavior, they are structurally most closely related to vertebrates, animals with true backbones.

Salps have a complex life cycle.
The solitary life history phase, also known as an oozoid, is a single barrel-shaped animal that reproduces asexually by producing a chain of tens to hundreds of individuals, which are released from the parent at a small size. The chain of salps is the aggregate portion of the life cycle. The aggregate individuals remain attached together while swimming and feeding, and each individual grows in size.

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