evil caulerpa retailers

[sharkdude]

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.

 

[reefpeep2004]

That's funny, I've been in at least 20 different So. Cal LFS and I've never seen one selling any kind of caulerpa. Not to say there might not have been a caulerpa fragment on some live rock or a coral, but I've never seen anyone selling caulerpa outright as a species?

On line is another matter...like eBay for instance.

I saw some taxifolia at Fish2000 a year ago and they specifically said it was not for sale.

So have you guys seen any LFS selling it?

 

[GTR]

MEPS 263:75-82(2003) - Abstract
Re-evaluation of the extent of Caulerpa taxifolia development in the northern Mediterranean using airborne spectrographic sensing
Jean M. Jaubert1,2,6,*, John R. M. Chisholm1, Audrey Minghelli-Roman1,3, Manuel Marchioretti1, John H. Morrow4, Herb T. Ripley5
1Observatoire Océanologique Européen, Avenue Saint-Martin, 98000 Monaco
2The Cousteau Society, 710 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton, Virginia 23669-4035, USA
3IRD, École des Mines de Paris, CENERG Rue Claude Daunesse, 06904 Sophia Antipolis, France
4Biospherical Instruments, 5340 Riley Street, San Diego, California 92110-2621, USA
5Hyperspectral Data International, Suite 119, 7071 Bayers Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3L 2C2, Canada
6Present address: University of Nice, Parc Coromandel (Emeraude B), 18 Avenue Gravier, 06100 Nice, France

ABSTRACT: There has been significant concern over development of the tropical green alga Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean Sea. Reports dating back to 1991 predicted that the species would expand exponentially on all types of substrata and displace major components of the coastal benthic flora, in particular the dominant native seagrass Posidonia oceanica. A pilot study of the Bay of Menton, SE France, where C. taxifolia has been established since at least 1989, indicated that these predictions might not be correct and that more sophisticated methods might be needed to gain a better estimate of the algaÃ"šÃ‚¹s abundance. We thus surveyed 44% of the total area reportedly colonized by C. taxifolia to a depth of 20 m on the south coast of France by compact airborne multispectral imaging and validated our maps by an extensive underwater survey. Our data indicate that the cover of C. taxifolia has been overestimated by at least 1 order of magnitude and that C. taxifolia has not substantially impacted the cover of P. oceanica. They also indicate that exponential expansion of the alga is only likely to have occurred on substrata situated in the vicinity of sewage outfalls and storm water drains, suggesting that it principally occupies partially vacant niches in stressed environments. In the light of these results, we consider that the risk to most endemic species should be considerably lower than formerly predicted.

Full text in PDF...
http://www.hdi.ns.ca/publications/Jaubert_et_al_MEPS_2003.pdf


Looks to me like if you feed the weed it will grow. Funny thing, just like in our tanks. :lol:

SteveU

 

[GTR]

I've bought it locally even though it was not for sale.
The ban is not just the sale but possession as well.

SteveU

 

[NicoleC]

I have seen caulerpa for sale as "macroalgae" in several local stores.

In reality, though, most of us aquire it inadvertently. IMO, they should spend a little more effort on educating hobbiests and retailers about proper disposal, because short of banning the importation of anything wet from anywhere that caulerpa grows (including boats!), there can't be such a thing as a caulerpa quarantine.

The hobby is taking the fall for this, when the vector could easily be a number of different sources.

 

[SteveOhh]

So anybody wanna buy any caulerpa??................. :eek2:

Watch out Tony Montana, there's a new drug lord in town!!!!

Steve

 

[d0cdave]

I've seen it in several LFS Ive visited in the past. Never seen it for sale necessarily, but it is in the display tanks. I try and weed it out of my live rock whenever possible, and let it dry on the pavement.

 

[cthetoy]

I don't have this but it sure looks nice. Are all Caulerpa illegal or just this one?

 

[laverda]

So how do they think it is getting from hobbyists tanks into the ocean??? Which brings to mind another question. What is the proper way to dispose of waste salt water? Dump it in the gutter? Or down the drain?

 

[mesocosm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7334275#post7334275 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gtrestoration
I've bought it locally even though it was not for sale.
The ban is not just the sale but possession as well.

SteveU

Steve is correct. For anyone interested ...



CALIFORNIA CODES
FISH AND GAME CODE
SECTION 2300

2300. (a) No person shall sell, possess, import, transport,
transfer, release alive in the state, or give away without
consideration the salt water algae of the Caulerpa species:
taxifolia, cupressoides, mexicana, sertulariodes, floridana,
ashmeadii, racemosa, verticillata, and scapelliformis.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a person may possess, for
bona fide scientific research, as determined by the department, upon
authorization by the department, the salt water algae of the Caulerpa
species: taxifolia, cupressoides, mexicana, sertulariodes,
floridana, ashmeadii, racemosa, verticillata, and scapelliformis.
(c) In addition to any other penalty provided by law, any person
who violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of not less
than five hundred dollars ($500) and not more than ten thousand
dollars ($10,000) for each violation.

Source
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=2260107366+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve


FYI

 

[omeg]

so I AM growing contraband with my metal halides!! LOL!

 

[SteveOhh]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7336548#post7336548 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by omeg
so I AM growing contraband with my metal halides!! LOL!

Now, if you're aquarium is in your closet & after 2 months you change to HPS lights & run them 12/12......................then we'll start worrying.......

Steve

 

[d0cdave]

I've always wondered if any "reefer" has been questioned by the authorities because their electric bill shot up overnight?

 

[omeg]

I'm sure in the future, some of the mushrooms or polyps will be considered contraband - there's just not enough people daring/adventurous enough to start drying some of the stuff up into powder form!

Has anyone's pet ate some of this stuff and lived through it?

 

[leebca]

I think part of the problem is identification. We're not the best when it comes to plant taxonomy.

Maybe those 'controlled' species should come with a clear/detailed diagram and photograph of each to help people know what they're talking about?

Does anyone know of a GREAT website that CLEARLY shows these controlled species so that ANYONE can easily identify them?

It might be worth having that as a sticky for reference.

 

[d0cdave]

Found this a few months ago during my research of this topic:

http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/hcd/caulerpa/9 Species Brochure.pdf

Nova did a special on it as well:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/algae/

 

[sharkdude]

Rather than outreach focusing on the criminalizing possession and sale, focus should be on responsible disposal methods at the hobbyist level.

I have sent an email with comments to my colleague here in my office, NMFS SouthWest Region, who is the federal man on point for administering the millions of dollars they have spent to 'erradicate' the caulerpa menace from our local waters.

They seem to have no clue that within a few days I could gather dozens of species types and samples from local aquarists.

 

[leebca]

d0cdave
Great links. Thanks!

Sharkdude
Everyone keeps talking about responsible disposing, but guidlines writiten out for aquarists to follow are hard to come by. It should be a sticky on RC. If it ain't simple and easy, it won't get done.

 

[GTR]

Here's a couple quotes from an online article, with a little sensationalism thrown in but none the less it makes some good, valid and interesting points.

Where did it come from?

Caulerpa is most commonly used in home aquariums. Caulerpa taxifolia is a saltwater plant native to tropical waters, but a released or escaped aquarium-bred hybrid of it invaded the Mediterranean Sea in 1984. The Caulerpa found in California is actually a clone of the Mediterranean plant.

How was it introduced and how does it spread?

Release from a home aquarium is the most likely source of the Caulerpa found in Southern California due to the popularity of this fast-growing, hardy species. Although importation into the United States and interstate transport or sale has been banned since 1999, Caulerpa taxifolia continues to be part of the aquarium trade. The infestation in Southern California is currently undergoing eradication efforts under the guidance of the Southern California Caulerpa Action Team (SCCAT), with an expected price tag of $5 million. One torn leaf can produce a new plant so eradication is difficult. Dispersal of Caulerpa taxifolia throughout the Mediterranean is believed to be primarily attributable to fishing gear, boat anchors and anchor lines.

Sounds like a nice heaping helping of job security for somebody. :lol:

Your help is needed! What YOU can do to prevent future introductions or detect new patches of growth:

Your help is critical to the success of California's effort to eradicate and prevent further infestation by this destructive marine seaweed. Boats, anchors, fishing gear and other aquatic activities can break off small fragments which can grow into a new plant.

*DO NOT use this seaweed in your aquarium - there are many alternatives!

*No Dumping! Do not release any water, plants or animals from an aquarium into a street, storm drains, streams, bay, lagoon, or the ocean. Only dump aquarium water into a sink or toilet. If you have large plant fragments, dry them out or freeze them for 24 hours, and then bag them for trash removal. Caulerpa can be removed from tanks, with all material it's attached to (rocks, gravel, etc.), placed in a freezer for 24 hours, and then placed in the trash for disposal in a landfill.

*Dispose of unused bait, seaweed, or other packing materials in a lined garbage can, not into storm drains, streams, lakes or other bodies of water.

*Inspect your boat, trailers, rudders, anchors, marine sports equipment, and fishing gear for attached plants and animals and remove them so you do not carry them to a new location. Place all organisms in a trash bin, not back into the water. Even small fragments can start new invasions!

*If you find Caulerpa in the water, along the shoreline, or on your watercraft or fishing gear, carefully remove a small piece of it, bag and freeze it, and report it to Bill Paznokas with the California Department of Fish and Game at wpaznokas@dfg.ca.gov or (858) 467-4218 with the following information:

1. Where you found it (including significant landmarks and water depth if possible)
2. Your name, telephone number, and address

All from...http://www.ridnis.ucdavis.edu/Caulerpataxifolia.html

SteveU