We have compiled a list of caulerpa taxifolia websites here. This list of caulerpa taxifolia websites will be updated regularly.
Facts about Caulerpa taxifolia
The problem: The aquarium strain of Caulerpa
taxifolia is an extremely invasive seaweed that is
currently infesting tens of thousands of acres in the
Mediterranean Sea and has now been found in two
coastal water bodies in southern California.
Aquarium use: Due to its fast-growing, hardy nature
and attractive appearance, C. taxifolia is used as a
decorative saltwater aquarium plant. The variety of
this species cultured for use in aquaria, known as the
“aquarium strain,” tolerates colder water and grows
more rapidly than the native strain. The native strain is not known to be invasive, and is genetically
distinct from the aquarium strain. It is now illegal to possess, sell, or transport C. taxifolia in California.
Description: C. taxifolia is bright green, with feathery, fern-like fronds that extend upward from a main
stem.
Distribution: C. taxifolia is native to tropical waters, including the Caribbean, Indo-Pacific, and Red Sea.
Infestations of the aquarium strain have been found in the Mediterranean Sea, Australia, and California.
Growth: The aquarium strain of C. taxifolia has the ability to form a dense carpet on any surface
including rock, sand, and mud. It is capable of extremely rapid growth; up to one half inch per day (1
cm/day).
Depth: C. taxifolia can grow in shallow coastal lagoons as well as in deeper ocean waters, possibly to
depths of greater than 150 feet (nearly 50 meters).
Ecological risks: Plant and animal diversity and abundance are reduced where C. taxifolia has invaded.
The aquarium strain of C. taxifolia has been documented to displace native vegetation, particularly
seagrass beds, and become the dominant plant life.
Human health threat: There are no human health risks associated with Caulerpa taxifolia.
Natural control: Outside of the tropics where Caulerpa occurs naturally, there is no known marine life
that eats C. taxifolia in any significant quantities. C. taxifolia contains toxins that are distasteful to
species that might feed on it.
Source and spread: Genetic evidence indicates that the most likely source of infestations in areas where
C. taxifolia is not native is through release from aquaria. Once introduced, C. taxifolia spreads by
fragmentation, and even a small, broken-off fragment can form a new plant. Distances between colonies
can be great due to transport on boat anchors and fishing gear. C. taxifolia does not float, has never been
observed to grow on boat hulls, and is unlikely to be transported in ballast water. Sexual reproduction has
not been observed in the aquarium strain of C. taxifolia.
Mediterranean infestation: The aquarium strain of C. taxifolia was first found in the Mediterranean Sea
off Monaco, adjacent to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, around 1984. Since then, C. taxifolia
has spread along the Mediterranean coast and dramatically altered and displaced native plant and animal
communities. Early eradication was not attempted in the Mediterranean, and the infestation is now
considered beyond control. As of 2001, it was estimated that C. taxifolia had infested over 30,000 acres
of seafloor in Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Tunisia. C. taxifolia infestations have negatively impacted
tourism, commercial and recreational fishing, and recreational activities such as SCUBA diving.
Australian infestation: The invasive aquarium strain of C. taxifolia has been reported in South Australia
and New South Wales and is invading in a pattern similar to the Mediterranean infestation. Efforts are
being made to control its spread.
Southern California infestations: C. taxifolia was first identified in June 2000 in Agua Hedionda
Lagoon, a coastal marine lagoon located in Carlsbad in San Diego County. Its growth pattern was similar
to that observed in the Mediterranean Sea, having spread to many areas and displaced the native seagrass.
In July 2000, another infestation of C. taxifolia was reported in a portion of Huntington Harbour in
Orange County. Test results indicate that the C. taxifolia in both Huntington Harbour and Agua
Hedionda is genetically identical to the aquarium strain. Releases from aquaria, either directly into the
water body, or indirectly through a storm drain, are the most likely sources of both southern California
infestations of C. taxifolia.
Legislation and regulations: Assembly Bill 1334 (Harman), signed into law by the Governor in
September 2001, prohibits the possession, sale, and transport of C. taxifolia throughout California. This
bill also establishes the same restrictions on several other species of the genus Caulerpa that are similar in
appearance to C. taxifolia and that are believed to have the ability to become invasive. Earlier in 2001,
the City of San Diego adopted an ordinance banning the possession, sale, and transport of the entire genus
of Caulerpa within city limits. Furthermore, the importation, interstate sale (including Internet sale), and
transport of the Mediterranean strain (i.e., aquarium strain) of C. taxifolia is prohibited under the federal
Noxious Weed Act (1999) and the federal Plant Protection Act (2000).
Eradication effort: The Southern California Caulerpa Action Team, SCCAT, is a committee established
to respond quickly and effectively to the discovery of C. taxifolia in southern California. The group
consists of representatives from local, state, and federal governmental entities, as well as private
organizations. The goal of SCCAT is to completely eradicate all C. taxifolia infestations and to prevent
new infestations. As part of the eradication effort, divers periodically conduct surveys in Agua Hedionda
and Huntington Harbour. Wherever C. taxifolia is found, it is contained and treated with chlorine. Longterm
monitoring will be necessary to assure complete eradication.
Prevention of new infestations: Aquarium water and other contents should never be emptied into or near
any gutter, storm drain, creek, lagoon, bay, harbor, or the ocean. Aquarium water should be disposed of
only in a sink or toilet. Rock and other solid material from an aquarium should be disposed of in a trash
can. C. taxifolia from an aquarium (and anything it is attached to), should be placed in a plastic bag, put
in a freezer for at least 24 hours, and then disposed of in a trash can. If any seaweed suspected to be C.
taxifolia is found on fishing gear, anchoring gear, or vessels, it should be removed, carefully bagged
(since even a small fragment has the potential to regenerate into a new plant), and reported. In order to
prevent new infestations and comply with the law, Caulerpa taxifolia should not be purchased, sold, or
distributed.
Contact information: Any sightings of Caulerpa taxifolia should be immediately reported to the
California Department of Fish and Game at (858) 467-4218 (wpaznokas@dfg.ca.gov) or National Marine
Fisheries Service at (562) 980-4043 (bob.hoffman@noaa.gov). For further information, please visit
www.caulerpa.cjb.net and www.sccat.net.
Please contact us at: admincaulerpataxifolia.com
Listing of caulerpa taxifolia websites:

Caulerpa taxifolia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caulerpa taxifolia is a species of seaweed (a type of algae) that has been commonly used as ornamentation in aquarium installations around the world. The algae has a stem which spreads horizontally just above the seafloor, and out of this stem there grow vertical fern-like pinnae, whose blades are flat like yew, hence the species name "taxifolia" (the genus of yew is "taxus"). The algae produces within it a lot of a single special kind of toxin to fish and other would-be predators. This is in contrast to other plants which produce a variety of toxins, but in reduced amounts. A specific strain of this algae was found to thrive in cold aquarium environments by the staff at the Wilhelmina Zoo in Stuttgart, Germany in 1980. In addition, the aquarium strain is less susceptible to the colder temperate waters of the Mediterranean than the naturally occurring tropical varieties.
It appears that, in 1984, this seaweed was accidentally released into coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea just below the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. By 1989, the species had grown to cover a large area and was preventing other plants from growing, leading to the nickname "Killer Algae". The plant began to spread between ports along the Mediterranean coast. C. taxifolia has been discovered off the coasts of Australia and the United States, though none of those encroachments have been anywhere near the scale of what is happening in the Mediterranean.
For several years, the origin of the species was unclear. Marine biologistAlexandre Meinesz first discovered the plant in the 1980s, and requested the help of the Monaco Oceanographic Museum, which sat right next to the first known taxifolia patch. However, the director of the museum argued that this invasion probably happened naturally, the result of ocean currents carrying a tropical species into the area. Bickering over whether the species was natural or invasive, and whether the museum had released it or not, contributed to a delay that allowed the plant to spread beyond control. The museum continued to deny releasing the plant, although former director Jacques-Yves Cousteau eventually expressed the belief that it was the only reasonable explanation.
C. taxifolia has no natural predators or competitors in the Mediterranean. It crowds out other fish and plants, and contains a strong toxin to most species. Regions that have been invaded by the plant now show that about half the expected number of fish have disappeared.
The aquarium strain reproduces asexually, that is, vegetatively: the viscous, elastic white fluid inside the stem was found under the microscope to contain only male gametes. Rate of growth can be as fast as a centimeter per day. If any small part is severed from the rest of the algae, this small part will regrow into another algae. Anchors of ships and fishing nets can serve as carriers of Caulerpa. Thus the algae has been found to jump from the coast of one port city to the coast of another port city.
In 2000 the strain was found in the coast of California (U.S.A.), near San Diego, and also in the coast of New South Wales, Australia. The California invasion was small enough to be considered controllable: it was covered with tarpaulin which was held down with sandbags at the edges of the infestation. Then chlorine was poured in through tubes which fed into certain openings in the tarpaulin: the interior of the tarpaulin fills up with chlorine and kills living organisms inside it, including the killer algae but also fish and plants. The killing of such other organisms was not desirable but was deemed preferable to letting the weed grow unchecked, which would in the end yield greater havoc on these same creatures.
The invasion in the Californian coast was most probably caused by an aquarium owner improperly dumping the contents, allowing C. taxifolia to flow through a storm sewer into the lagoon where the invasion was discovered. California has since passed a law forbidding the possession, sale or transport of Caulerpa taxifolia within the state. There is also a federal law under the Noxious Weed Act forbidding interstate sale and transport of the aquarium strain Caulerpa.
Researchers at the University of Nice in France have been studying a tiny aquatic slug, similar to a snail but without a carapace on its back, which is known to be a natural predator of C. taxifolia. Called Elysia subornata, it was found off the coast of Florida, in waters warmer than those in the Mediterranean. This slug is believed to feed exclusively on Caulerpa taxifolia, by sticking its proboscis into the stem and sucking out the white viscous liquid inside the stem: this causes the algae to become limp, discolored, and dead. As the slug does so, it absorbs the algae's poison. The slug has an enzyme which neutralizes the noxious effect of the poison, and at the same time the poison protects the slug from being eaten by fish. This slug cannot survive in the cooler waters of the Mediterranean, however, and so is unable to check the growth of the killer weed. Another possible answer is that Algae is composed of 60% oil and is burnable as fuel, thus, this unwanted algae may be another useful alternative fuel to be harvested. * A
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