sharkdude
New member
also posted in Reef News thread
*HAS THE STATE BAN ON AQUARIUM /CAULERPA/ SPECIES BEEN EFFECTIVE IN
SOUTHERN **CALIFORNIA**?*
* _J.R. Smith^1 _*, S.F. Zaleski^2 , S. Diaz^1 , L.J. Walters^3 , K.
Brown^3 , and S.N. Murray^1 . ^1 Department of Biological Science,
California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834; ^2 Sea Grant Program,
University^ of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089;^ 3 Department
of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816
The /Caulerpa taxifolia/ invasion of the Mediterranean Sea raised
awareness of the potential for introduced seaweeds to impact coastal
communities. Subsequent introductions of /C. taxifolia/ in southern
California in 2000, presumably from the release of aquarium specimens,
led to the expenditure of more than $4.5 million for eradication
efforts. Besides /C. taxifolia/, other species of /Caulerpa/ being sold
for aquarium use also may have the potential to invade southern
Californian and U.S. waters. To determine the availability of aquarium
specimens of /Caulerpa/ in southern California, 50 retail outlets were
visited in 2000-01 and 52% were found to sell /Caulerpa/;10% of these
stores sold /C. taxifolia/. Surveys of aquarium stores in Florida
produced similar results and also revealed the ability to purchase
/Caulerpa/ via e-commerce. In late 2001, California imposed a ban on
importation, sale, or possession of 9 /Caulerpa/ species; the City of
San Diego expanded these regulations to include all species. To
determine the effectiveness of the California ban on /Caulerpa/, in
2005-06 we visited 24 retail stores previously found to sell /Caulerpa/.
Of 24 stores, 63% sold /Caulerpa/ and 8% were selling /C. taxifolia/.
These results together with recent work in Florida suggest that the
retail aquarium industry, including e-commerce, continues to represent a
potential vector for distributing /Caulerpa/ specimens, including /C.
taxifolia/. It also appears that outreach and enforcement programs in
the City of San Diego have resulted in greater compliance with existing
regulations underscoring the need to increase awareness among the
aquarium retail industry.
*HAS THE STATE BAN ON AQUARIUM /CAULERPA/ SPECIES BEEN EFFECTIVE IN
SOUTHERN **CALIFORNIA**?*
* _J.R. Smith^1 _*, S.F. Zaleski^2 , S. Diaz^1 , L.J. Walters^3 , K.
Brown^3 , and S.N. Murray^1 . ^1 Department of Biological Science,
California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834; ^2 Sea Grant Program,
University^ of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089;^ 3 Department
of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816
The /Caulerpa taxifolia/ invasion of the Mediterranean Sea raised
awareness of the potential for introduced seaweeds to impact coastal
communities. Subsequent introductions of /C. taxifolia/ in southern
California in 2000, presumably from the release of aquarium specimens,
led to the expenditure of more than $4.5 million for eradication
efforts. Besides /C. taxifolia/, other species of /Caulerpa/ being sold
for aquarium use also may have the potential to invade southern
Californian and U.S. waters. To determine the availability of aquarium
specimens of /Caulerpa/ in southern California, 50 retail outlets were
visited in 2000-01 and 52% were found to sell /Caulerpa/;10% of these
stores sold /C. taxifolia/. Surveys of aquarium stores in Florida
produced similar results and also revealed the ability to purchase
/Caulerpa/ via e-commerce. In late 2001, California imposed a ban on
importation, sale, or possession of 9 /Caulerpa/ species; the City of
San Diego expanded these regulations to include all species. To
determine the effectiveness of the California ban on /Caulerpa/, in
2005-06 we visited 24 retail stores previously found to sell /Caulerpa/.
Of 24 stores, 63% sold /Caulerpa/ and 8% were selling /C. taxifolia/.
These results together with recent work in Florida suggest that the
retail aquarium industry, including e-commerce, continues to represent a
potential vector for distributing /Caulerpa/ specimens, including /C.
taxifolia/. It also appears that outreach and enforcement programs in
the City of San Diego have resulted in greater compliance with existing
regulations underscoring the need to increase awareness among the
aquarium retail industry.