The Port of San Diego has declared an emergency after discovering Caulerpa prolifera, an invasive tropical algae, in San Diego Bay, The Coronado Times reported.
What's happening?
Caulerpa is a type of algae that is native to Florida and other subtropical regions but is considered invasive on the West Coast. It grows extremely quickly and can outcompete native seaweeds and seagrasses for resources. The concern in the San Diego Bay is that it will choke out native eelgrass, which fish, birds, and turtles rely on for food and shelter.
"It is absolutely critical that we find and remove or cover every little piece of Caulerpa as quickly as possible to preserve our bay's strong and healthy ecosystem," said chairman Frank Urtasun, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. "Caulerpa is also a potential threat to local jobs and businesses. In the 1980s, a Caulerpa outbreak in the Mediterranean Sea caused millions of dollars in losses to tourism and fishing industries because it was not contained. We will not let that happen in San Diego Bay."
Why are invasive species important?
Invasive species don't journey outside their native habitats on their own — in nearly every case, they were introduced by some sort of human activity.
In the case of the Caulerpa, officials guessed that someone dumped the contents of their saltwater aquarium into the bay. Caulerpa is a popular plant for saltwater aquariums, though it is illegal to own in California, with fines ranging from $500 to $10,000.
What's being done about the Caulerpa?
After the Caulerpa in the San Diego Bay was discovered incidentally, officials leapt into action, deploying trained divers to find and cover any Caulerpa they could find with a sealed barrier, blocking it from light, oxygen, and tidal circulation.
Officials are also asking boaters, kayakers, swimmers, and divers to avoid the infested areas as much as possible, as Caulerpa can spread easily.
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