RM
Invasive seaweed control
Invasive seaweed control. Divers covering sea floor that has been invaded by an alien species of green alga (Caulerpa taxifolia) with a tarpaulin, as part of measures to control its spread. Liquid chlorine injection kills the invader. The alga is native to the Caribbean, but a strain capable of growing in cooler climates was introduced to the Mediterranean in the 1980s, probably from an aquarium. Dense Caulerpa meadows cover large regions. It is tough, fast-growing and toxic to the main herbivores in the region. It is replacing native species and causing major ecological damage. It was discovered in waters off California in 2000. Photographed in the French Mediterranean.
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