sharkdude
New member
From the Admiral (head of NOAA) himself!
damn evil aquarists!
guess that makes me a double-agent or agent provacatuer!
muahh ha ha ha! :mad2:
NOAA and Partners Mark Victory on California Coast
As stewards of America's coastal zone and offshore areas, NOAA battles
aliens everyday. And no, the intense summer heat hasn't gotten to me.
I'm referring to the colonies of invading species that arrive in U.S.
waters as stowaways on ships or via aquarium dumps or other routes and,
once established, add to the menagerie from foreign habitats that now
call our nation home. Each hour, for example, about two million gallons
of foreign ballast waters are being discharged somewhere in U.S. waters.
Many of the species they carry or that are otherwise dumped compete with
native American species for food, space to live and spawning ground. The
invaders bring diseases and threaten the natural legacy of our
environment. They also cost us over $120 billion annually. By clogging
pipes and affecting drinking water, invasive species have cost utilities
and industrial users hundreds of millions of dollars. Prior scientific
explorers of San Francisco Bay would hardly recognize it today -- the
Bay now hosts 260 uninvited species. In some Bay areas, over 90 percent
of the organisms are non-native. In the Great Lakes, 182 non-native
species have established new homes.
Eradicating an invasive marine species is both difficult and rare. Yet
our staff just shared in the third of perhaps only five successful
eradications in marine and estuarine systems worldwide. On July 12 in
Carlsbad, California, Deputy Assistant Secretary Tim Keeney and NOAA
Fisheries' Bob Hoffman joined many country, state, federal, and private
partners in marking the successful eradication of Caulerpa taxifolia,
sometimes called the Killer Algae, from two sites on the California
coast. An outstanding example of efficiency in government, an
eradication project was set into motion within days of discovering the
harmful species. Early detection and quick action by a multi-agency team
localized the population. Over a five-year period, quarterly surveys
ensured that no plants had been missed. Rapid response saved precious
coastal habitat -- and the effort is now being viewed as a model in
responding to invasive species.
Almost certainly introduced through aquarium dumping, the experience
with Caulerpa has helped shape a partnership aimed at educating aquarium
owners about the serious consequences of releasing aquarium organisms.
NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the pet industry have
developed Habitattitude^(TM) to help prevent future such problems. The
campaign has already reached over 30 million people. NOAA also is
focused on other prevention, such as sponsoring research on a variety of
ballast water treatment technologies. http://www.sccat.net
<http://www.sccat.net> http://aquaticinvaders.org
<http://aquaticinvaders.org/> http://www.habitattitude.net
<http://www.habitattitude.net/>
damn evil aquarists!
guess that makes me a double-agent or agent provacatuer!
muahh ha ha ha! :mad2:
NOAA and Partners Mark Victory on California Coast
As stewards of America's coastal zone and offshore areas, NOAA battles
aliens everyday. And no, the intense summer heat hasn't gotten to me.
I'm referring to the colonies of invading species that arrive in U.S.
waters as stowaways on ships or via aquarium dumps or other routes and,
once established, add to the menagerie from foreign habitats that now
call our nation home. Each hour, for example, about two million gallons
of foreign ballast waters are being discharged somewhere in U.S. waters.
Many of the species they carry or that are otherwise dumped compete with
native American species for food, space to live and spawning ground. The
invaders bring diseases and threaten the natural legacy of our
environment. They also cost us over $120 billion annually. By clogging
pipes and affecting drinking water, invasive species have cost utilities
and industrial users hundreds of millions of dollars. Prior scientific
explorers of San Francisco Bay would hardly recognize it today -- the
Bay now hosts 260 uninvited species. In some Bay areas, over 90 percent
of the organisms are non-native. In the Great Lakes, 182 non-native
species have established new homes.
Eradicating an invasive marine species is both difficult and rare. Yet
our staff just shared in the third of perhaps only five successful
eradications in marine and estuarine systems worldwide. On July 12 in
Carlsbad, California, Deputy Assistant Secretary Tim Keeney and NOAA
Fisheries' Bob Hoffman joined many country, state, federal, and private
partners in marking the successful eradication of Caulerpa taxifolia,
sometimes called the Killer Algae, from two sites on the California
coast. An outstanding example of efficiency in government, an
eradication project was set into motion within days of discovering the
harmful species. Early detection and quick action by a multi-agency team
localized the population. Over a five-year period, quarterly surveys
ensured that no plants had been missed. Rapid response saved precious
coastal habitat -- and the effort is now being viewed as a model in
responding to invasive species.
Almost certainly introduced through aquarium dumping, the experience
with Caulerpa has helped shape a partnership aimed at educating aquarium
owners about the serious consequences of releasing aquarium organisms.
NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the pet industry have
developed Habitattitude^(TM) to help prevent future such problems. The
campaign has already reached over 30 million people. NOAA also is
focused on other prevention, such as sponsoring research on a variety of
ballast water treatment technologies. http://www.sccat.net
<http://www.sccat.net> http://aquaticinvaders.org
<http://aquaticinvaders.org/> http://www.habitattitude.net
<http://www.habitattitude.net/>
