(AP) — A state department has begun collecting special plates kept in several Hawaiʻi harbors as part of an effort aimed at detecting potential invasive species. Researchers from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources in recent weeks have begun collecting the plates, which the department said are anchored with cinder blocks in commercial harbors around the state. Hawaiʻi News Now reports the department says the plates soak in the water and different types of organisms settle on them. Researchers then look at the organisms as part of the effort to detect possible invasive species that may have been carried in on boats.

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