Alien seaweed species killing our reefs

[justleesa]

There was an interesting article in the Midweek last week about an invasive seaweed species from (what the paper says) the Philippines called Gorilla ogo. It kills native species basically by smothering them, and it spreads very easily.

The past few years they have been having a clean up over near the Nanatorium. Pulling it off the reef, cleaning out the critters and putting them back. What they have collected is used for fertilizer. Here is an interesting article.

 

[HarveyO]

Lets go harvest Killer Sea Weed.

 

[justleesa]

They are going to have another clean up day in November.

 

[HarveyO]

Interesting. I wouldn't mind sitting in the muck

 

[justleesa]

I'll post the date after I find it again...if you find any rolling around when you dive you could collect that (make sure there are no other critters inside).

 

[Turtleguy9]

Aloha
I have been collecting a bag on every dive at Turtle canyon. I have even been getting help from the customers. We have collected about two five gallon buckets so far.
Its like a thin carpet, and is killing a lot of the native seaweed and some coral heads.
The easy stuff to collect is the stuff rolling on the sand, as the currents and surge gather it into piles.
Aloha
Roger

 

[archman]

Aren't there a couple of underwater vacuum cleaner thingies being used in Kaneohe Bay to remove that nasty green alga? Anybody tried using those things on this Gracilaria?

Ha ha, I this is the first time I've heard of multiple exotic algae species impacting the same local area at once.

 

[justleesa]

yeah, we are getting it from all sides.

The sad thing that the article in the paper said the it was our own UH that introduced it (along with a ship that sailed in to the Big Island)

 

[chepar]

The past few years they have been having a clean up over near the Nanatorium. Pulling it off the reef, cleaning out the critters and putting them back. What they have collected is used for fertilizer.

The past few years my daughter's Girl Scout troop has participated in the clean up, though she herself was never able to do it due to sports or various lessons scheduled.

I think it's usually been on a Saturday morning.

 

[boomx5]

This reminds me of something out of the book, "Lost City" by Clive Cussler.