YOU CAN STOP THE CAULERPA BAN!!

[MaryHM]

I have just posted all of the Caulerpa information on my website. If you live in California, you BETTER write a letter or don't gripe when they ban ALL of the Caulerpa species!! If you don't live in California, PLEASE sign the petition at the website!!! Los Angeles is the main port of entry for animals entering the marine aquarium trade- if we can't import it here in California, you won't be able to get it anywhere! This is an IMPORTANT matter. If we let them pass this sloppy legislation through, you better believe more will come down the pipes. SAVE YOUR HOBBY AND GET INVOLVED!! I'm not just saying this because I enjoy being a "pied piper"...this is a serious matter and I hope you take a few minutes of your time to help the hobby that gives you so much enjoyment!!

------------------
EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY
www.reefsource.com

[Coraltank]

Mary,I listened to your talk today online.You rocked!Keep up the good work.Don't let 'em take away our hobby.I'm going to sign the petition now.

[wgscott]

They can have my macroalgae when they pry it from my cold, dead hand. Next thing you know, they will want to wage war on my invasive fire ant breeding facility.

[LiquidShaneo]

This is more of a technicality but shouldn't it be the entire GENUS Caulerpa and not SPECIES?:

(snip) CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR LATEST CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE BANNING OF THE ENTIRE SPECIES OF CAULERPA BY THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE!

Just thought i'd point it out to you Mary. [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

Liquid

[MarkS]

I signed it. I'll mail it A.S.A.P.

I would love to see the look on their faces when they start getting petitions from across the country for a bill in their state.

Mark

------------------
Sicks munce Ago
I coodn't evin
spel gradjuwat
And now i Are One

[MarkS]

I just sent this e-mail to Assemblyman Harman. I will post any replies that I get, although I don't think he will reply.

*******************************

I am extremely concerned and saddened to hear about Bill 1334. This bill will have a major impact on all Marine Hobbyists. Due to the wording and nature of the bill, it will have far reaching and very damaging effects on my hobby.
A ban on all caulerpa is unreasonable. I do understand why C. Taxifolia should be banned. However all responsible hobbyists have conservation and protection of the species they keep in mind. Part of this is too provide a very natural environment in our tanks. This requires the use of sand, live rock, PLANTS and animals.
To ban the entire genus of caulerpa would also, as a consequence, ban live rock and live sand. No, live rock cannot be substituted with any old rock. It is the very life on and in the rock that provides the food and habitat that the creatures in the tank need. It also provided filtration for the tank. None of this can be accomplished with "dead" rock.
Caulerpa is also used as a natural filter. It absorbs nutrients from the water and is then is pruned from the tank. This is far more efficient that any form of mechanical filtration on the market. This cannot be said for any other genus of marine plant. It is also free and very abundant.
Caulerpa is used as food for fish and other creatures. While there is other plants that herbivorous fish will eat, even lettuce, spinach and such, no other marine plant will grow in the quantities needed or will not grow successfully in a tank environment.

I live in Texas. I am very scared of a bill in a state more than 1500 miles from me. This is sad. The resulting effects of this bill will be global. You all knew of this problem in 1984. Why did you all wait until now, after this stuff has covered more than 10,000 acres, to fight it? When it covered a little more than a yard, it could have been pulled up. Due to your inaction in 1984, you want to ban it all now. What other outbreaks have happened in California since 1984? None that I have heard of. This whole problem is due to one small patch that was not removed almost two decades ago. This patch did not grow due to additions, but rather due to reproduction. How can banning something that has not been introduced into the environment in almost two decades possibly help?

Feel free to call me. My home and work numbers are listed below.

Mark A Speir
MarkASpeir@AOl.com

hm ***-***-****
wk ***-***-****

Phone numbers edited from this post for obvious reasons.

[This message has been edited by MarkS (edited 05-04-2001).]

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have a hard time understanding how banning caulerpa in California is going to ruin the hobby. Of all the injustices and perceived injustices in the world, I can't see this one rating in even the top million.

As a completely unrelated point, perhaps other caulerpa species will be problematic (as posted in other threads) and the ban is entirely justified.

------------------
Randy Holmes-Farley

[This message has been edited by Randy Holmes-Farley (edited 05-04-2001).]

[Ninong]

Originally posted by Randy Holmes-Farley:

I have a hard time understanding how banning caulerpa in California is going to ruin the hobby.

Most live rock from the South Pacific comes into LAX. If any of that live rock harbored, or might harbor, any one of the 75 different species of Caulerpa, it would not be allowed into the state. I don't know if there are direct flights from the tropical Pacific into say Houston or Chicago. Chicago would probably be out of the question because of winter temps.

Some of the scientific advisors in California would like to shut down the entire aquarium hobby, not just ban one marine algae genus. Some people are pushing for a total ban on importation of any reef animals.

I believe people are concerned about the precedent this bill would establish.

Ninong [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]



------------------
Irrational Exuberance!

[razorbackfan]

And people ask why I moved away from California! Now that state's goofy laws are going to follow me? GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

------------------
Jim - GO HOGS GO!
Visit my NEW Reef Page -
http://razorbackfan.topcities.com
Nobody likes a drunk monkey

[MaryHM]

I brought up the fact that most of the Caulerpa I import wouldn't live in cold water, and even offered to run some tests on different species. They sounded interested and said they would like their scientists to come out to the facility...I'll keep you posted.

------------------
EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY
www.reefsource.com

[ravenmore]

Personally I think the "natural" environment of California is already toast. For several reasons. The root of all these reasons is people. Period. Yes, people brought in the caulerpa (though it may not have been from a hobbiest dumping a tank, could've just as easily drifted down the coast from a ships ballast water), but people have introduced other non-indigenous species either directly or indirectly. Also, the bay waters are more nutrient rich now because of polution from, you guessed it, people. The native californian species evolved to live/survive in nutrient poor waters. So we're jacking with things in that manner also. I don't know, this bill just seems like treating a mortal wound with a band aid. It's not going to help the existing situation much and it's probably going to hurt hobbiest big time.

A side note. Most species of caulerpa won't live/survive very long in californian waters. C. Taxifolia is an exceptionally hardy species. Most, if not all, other types of caulerpa would die pretty quick.

A 2nd side note. Environments are not static things. They do change on their own. The advent of people might now introduce variables that make the changes occur quicker. Evolution of an environment to meet new variables is the natural order of things.

-Mike

------------------
I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything.

Website

[This message has been edited by ravenmore (edited 05-04-2001).]

[wgscott]

Horror upon horrors. You mean to tell us that maybe we shouldn't be importing live rock from countries which, unlike the United States, haven't banned looting the reefs for this purpose? I've never understood why a reef in another part of the world is not given the same protection as US reefs in US waters by US law.

We know how to aquaculture live rock, we can propagate many corals, and several fish can be bread in captivity and many others can be raised on fish-farms from larvae.

I would gladly give up the right to have imported species if this would help conserve what little is left of the world's coral reefs.

Isn't that what being an "ethical hobbiest" is about?

[MaryHM]

wgscott- Live Rock IS being aquacultured in the South Pacific and imported into the US as we speak. You want that to be banned too? Caulerpa doesn't know the difference between natural live rock and the aquacultured stuff. It's not just growing on the real stuff...

------------------
EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY
www.reefsource.com

[Coraltank]

FWIW,If you go to Aqualink.com to get to the BB there you can find a post by reefermadness showing a proposed federal ban on the Caulerpa question.Please read and note the distinctions between this proposed fed ban and the Cal. bill.The fed ban consistantly refers to Caulerpa Taxifolia(Med.variety).It does NOT lump all the Caulerpa together.This is the most important point that we hobbiest need to make in our quest to clearify the problems with the Cal. bill.JMHO

[SPasse]

^^^^

------------------
The definition of an expert is a washed-up drip under pressure.
You can see my reeftank at http://www.homestead.com/spasse/

[Reinhold]

I support the ban on any and all species of Caulerpa that may cause irreversible changes in our native aquatic environment. One only has to look at the Zebra Mussel and Eurasian Millfoil problems in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions to see the devastating effects on a huge portion of the Earth of non-native species introduction.

Zebra Mussels hitchhiking in the discharged ballast water of freighters plying the Great Lakes have multiplied without natural enemies to the point of plugging water intakes and filtering out microscopic food sources for other fish. Counts of 100,000 ZM's per square meter are not uncommon. There is no known way of eliminating these non-native mussels which are altering the ecosystem of the Great Lakes.

Eurasian Milfoil, an aquatic weed, is literally choking the lakes of the Midwestern states, preventing boating, fishing and navigation on affected lakes. Once a 1" fragment is introduced into a lake on a boat propeller or trailer, it can reproduce to the point of forming a carpet mat of thick vegetation which is resistant to almost all forms of eradication. It can be removed by introducing grass-eating carp into a lake, but now a new problem develops with an unnatural population of fish multiplying unchecked in a lake until the food source runs out.

Had there been an early, proactive effort to prevent these plants and animals, the infestations might have been avoided. Right now, even with an unlimited supply of money, these pests cannot be eradicated. Let's not make the same mistake with Caulerpa. Reefers will find other plant species to use in refugiums.

[MaryHM]

Reinhold:

I too support the ban of any species that may cause irreversible damage to the natural environment. In this case, that species is Caulerpa taxifolia. The problem is that the California legislature wants to ban all of the other 74 species of Caulerpa that AREN'T potential "bad weeds". I clearly state in my letter (posted on my website at www.reefsource.com) that a ban of C. taxifolia is necessary, but that it is ridiculous to ban all of the other species. It's also a dangerous precedent for the legislature to ban an entire genus based on one bad weed.

------------------
EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY
www.reefsource.com

[waterboy]

Reinhold,
The only sound reason they might have to ban the whole genus is if it is hard to distinguish Taxifolia from other species of Caulerpa. And apparently it is not that hard to distinguish. So why ban the entire genus? In the spirit of this reasoning, they should ban all marine vegitation. While they're at it, might as well ban all zebra mussells/clams/oysters/everything that looks even vaguely like a mussell. If I'm enforcing this legislation, I think it would be harder to keep track of and control 75 different species than just one. You'd be taking away the focus from the species that is really the problem.

Mary,
I'm taking the petition around to the aquarium stores in Columbus. So far, there seems to be a lot of interest.

[This message has been edited by waterboy (edited 05-07-2001).]

[SPasse]

Hi All,

Our current Secretary of The Interior, Gale Norton more sympathetic to pet industry/hobby that the former secretary, Bruce Babbitt.

I intend to write and E-mail her with my concerns about the pending Caulerpa ban in California, and my broader concerns about any possible pending federal ban on this and other “non-native species”

Here is her address and E-mail:

Gale A. Norton
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C. Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20240
(202) 208-3100
gale_norton@ios.doi.gov

Regards,

Scott

------------------
The definition of an expert is a washed-up drip under pressure.
You can see my reeftank at http://www.homestead.com/spasse/

[MaryHM]

Here is an update on the situation:

The bill was voted on by the Assembly on May 7. It passed unanimously, 78 to 0. THIS IS NOT GOOD!!! I spoke with Dave Weaver (Assemblyman Harman's staff aid who is handling this bill) today and he stated that Mr. Harman's office has been receiving phone calls from concerned hobbyists across the nation!! THIS IS GOOD! We need to keep up the pressure. The bill will now go into Senate Committee for discussion. I am going to try to go to Sacramento and testify in front of the Senate Committee on behalf of the industry/hobby. I am only going to go and fight for this if you guys think it's important. You can show me that you think it is important by signing the petition! If I get at least 250 signatures, I will go testify. PLEASE HELP ME HELP THE INDUSTRY/HOBBY! Mr. Weaver said that it will be about a month before the Senate will be ready to vote on it, so I'm setting a deadline of May 31 to receive all of the petitions. If the Senate passes it, we have lost- and no more Caulerpa will be imported. My fax machine has been ringing a lot today with people sending in their petitions!! In fact, I've received more petitions today than I have all week! Momentum is growing! GREAT WORK GUYS!! Continue to keep phoning and writing- we are getting through to them!!

Go to www.reefsource.com for more information



------------------
EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY
www.reefsource.com