caulurpra illegal in california?

[kimboslice]

someone told me it was illegal since it is so destructive to the environment and ppl have been dumping it in the oceans, is this true?

[Steveabg]

Nine different species of caulerpa are illegal in California:

Caulerpa taxifolia, cupressoides, mexicana, sertulariodes, floridana, ashmeadii, racemosa, verticillata, and scapelliformis.

[kimboslice]

so would i get fined? even though i dont sell it or dump into the ocean?

[Steveabg]

Well, I don't think there are any algae police knocking on doors and checking aquariums, so nobody will ever know. You can't really prevent it from popping up on live rock and that sort of thing. The only way you'd really get caught would be if you had it in a tank in a store.

Here's the code:

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.


http://law.justia.com/california/codes/fgc/2300.html

[crabbejoe]

Did anyone see the show they had about this on the discovery channel? I guess entire Mediterranean reefs were wiped out because caulerpa got in the ocean and choked everything else off. They say you shouldn't even dump your waste water down the drain if you have caulerpa because fragments or spores could still find their way to the ocean. Scary stuff.

[pupfish]

Yup, I think it was on "Nova" as well. Turns out the the source for the Mediterranean caulerpa catastrophe was from that aquarium institute that J. Cousteau started in either France or Monaco. Ding-dong scientists were allowing stuff to be dumped from the institute directly into the ocean below, including foreign species of algae.

The San Diego problem is just as embarrassing. Looks as simple as someone rinsing their tank outside and a fragment went Pacific via a street drain pipe. The fact that San Diego directs their street runoff into the ocean (sometimes just a nasty "drip-drip" on the beach) is kind of hypocritical given their whole "look at us - we've got all these environmental laws, whoo-hoo" attitude. I've seen some of those pipes coming off the rock piles and piers. Icky.

Anyway, it was a good show. Catch if it ever airs again (I think I may have even taped the thing.)

Meredith

[KUDA]

Is Cali the only state it is illegal in?