[APD] Weeds and caution(what we should really be talking about)

["Thomas Barr" <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

[Redacted]
our policy but still take care of the problem. The best thing is to do is
keep them from getting into the environment, so exclusion is one way, rapid
response is another, awareness and education is another. 

So many of you on this list are aware about their noxious nature, but it's
the newbie or the poor schlep that doesn't know how to grow their plants
and decides to place the weed in a backyard stream, pond, lake so they can
have an on going supply for their goldfish/koi. Wholesalers and importers
are watched closely, not hobbyists. 

If you do see a patch of Salvinia, Hygro polysperma, anything that looks
like a non native serious weed, call your local county Agricultural
commissioner and tell them you found a potential noxious weed in your area.

Many of you know more about the species than the Ag commissioner's do so
your eyes/knowledge are very helpful to them and your local aquatic
environment.
The sooner you spot them and report it, the better off we all are. Invasive
weeds _are_ pollution, but this pollution gets bigger and worse unlike
other forms of pollution which are not self replicating fast growing weeds.
Many don't think about it that way.

As far as things like Tonia,many of the plants we keep, I think we have
little to worry about. 

Here's a little bit on the marine side of this:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041205/sc_nm/croatia_alg
ae_dc&e=3

I'm trying to ban all Cauplera from CA. This is why. How do you treat
several hundred acres of weeds?
Several thousand? How do you treat the ocean? Herbicides don't work.
Biocontrol does not work this far north. We used Bleach tablets and placed
tarps over the infested areas.  It seems to work if you spot it in time and
have a rapid response. Add some Sharks, bad currents, big waves, it becomes
a real issue. Nothing eats it out here either.Only a few folks can tell the
difference between the species in the genus, this makes finding out what it
is and if it's allowed into CA very tough. Give the scale of the fishiers,
Abalone, SeaOtters, Salmon, Ling Cod, Crabs and more inverts than I can
count, prevention is about the only thing we can do. These things are far
more important than a few weeds that reef folks want to keep and there are
altrernative plants/macros to take their place. 

Hopefully by early next year, the genus will be banned in CA. San Deigo
already has a alw that makes the entire genus illegal to possess, import or
sell.
While we might follow good practices, Biopollution is serious and causes
lots of financial damage to fisheries and habitats. The cure is bad,but
does not last long and things recover quickly, ignoring it far worse. 
Unlike an oil spill, this stuff self replicated and gets larger and larger.
So it does not go away over time, it gets worse.  

This is true for some other freshwater weeds as well.
When we ban these weeds, it's a very good thing. Some might feel it's
depriving them of their plants, but the species we ban are noxious weds,
not some rare hard to grow Crypt, or new stem plant. It's the common stuff,
the pond plants etc. Newbies might toss this out into a river, someone
might add some Egeria densa or Najas/Hyrillia/Lagarosiphon to the creek to
have an on going supply of it to feed their goldfish/koi. How many folks
can tell the difference between those 4 plants?
A trained botantist with very good references and a stereoscope can, but
few others can with certainty.   

So as you can see, there are many large finacial issues with aquatic
plants, jobs, things we can do beyond our hobby if we so chose. 
So get out, see the plants in nature, preserve and protect these places.

Regards, 
Tom Barr
 





     
    



 
 


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