Just below Nino the gondolier and the couple he’s paddling along for a sunset ride down canals lined by multimillion-dollar homes, a less idyllic scene is unfolding.
An aggressive algae able to clone itself from a fragment the size of a fingernail into an underwater forest that quashes nearly all other life forms has taken root.
The chance discovery of Caulerpa prolifera in the Coronado Cays in September triggered an emergency response that might seem something of the cinema. Within a day, a vast network of federal, state and local agencies were stirred into action.
“Why are the wildlife agencies treating this like such a big deal?” Jeremy Haas from the Regional Water Board asked rhetorically, acknowledging the scale of the response.
The algae smothers out native ecosystems and destroys essential food and shelter resources, pushing out a variety of marine life. It also produces a toxin that makes it inedible, which means it has no natural predators to curb its growth.
Given the damage the algae has caused worldwide and the cost of mitigation, even a small outbreak is considered a significant concern. California alone has spent more than $7 million eradicating the invasive and dangerous algae.
Although it is not directly harmful to humans like recent blooms of cyanobacteria, for San Diego it would mean the destruction of native eelgrass — a focus of rehabilitation efforts for decades. Endangered green turtles are among the species that rely on the eelgrass. It also would impact the fish population, and in turn the local fishing industry.
And it almost went without notice. Had the neighborhood not ordered dock inspections ahead of some repairs the invasive bloom could have gone undetected.
Read the full article on inewsource.org.
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