Good Riddance to Invasive Algae
Series: May 2009 - Isla Earth Radio Series
From: Pat Maxwell
Length: 00:01:30
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- Good Riddance to Invasive Algae
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- Pat Maxwell
Okay, so you’re out in the clear waters of Hawaii and notice that algae are smothering the beautiful coral reefs just below the surface. What’s going on? The alga, called Gorilla ogo, is just one of five non-native algae species that threaten Hawaii’s reefs. Thick coverings of algae can kill coral by blocking sunlight and the flow of fresh seawater. Four of the invasive algae species were brought to Hawaiian waters in the 1970s for aquaculture research. Algae are used commercially for everything from making ice cream to thinning paint. Everything was fine until algae-eating fish and sea urchins started their decline in the 1990s. Then the algae took over...
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Piece Description
Okay, so you’re out in the clear waters of Hawaii and notice that algae are smothering the beautiful coral reefs just below the surface. What’s going on? The alga, called Gorilla ogo, is just one of five non-native algae species that threaten Hawaii’s reefs. Thick coverings of algae can kill coral by blocking sunlight and the flow of fresh seawater. Four of the invasive algae species were brought to Hawaiian waters in the 1970s for aquaculture research. Algae are used commercially for everything from making ice cream to thinning paint. Everything was fine until algae-eating fish and sea urchins started their decline in the 1990s. Then the algae took over...
Additional Credits
Isla Earth is produced by the Catalina Island Conservancy with support from its Fund for a Sustainable Planet.
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