Summary: An invasive species, Undaria pinnatifida (known as wakame), was found in the San Francisco Bay. Wakame, a "costly, aggressive intruder", is an invasive species from Asia and is thought to have come over to our waters stuck to hulls or as stowaways in ballast water. This species harms native kelp, mucks up marinas and the undersides of boats, and damages mariculture. Additionally, money to help fix these issues is not easy to come by, since getting rid of wakame is not a high priority for the state of California's agenda. The wakame is predicted to spread as far as Canada before the waters get cold enough to stop movement; therefore, this problem is going to get a lot worse before it can get better. Luckily, Dr. Zabin (biologist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center who discovered the wakame) and colleagues from nonprofit groups and state and federal agencies have been doing all that they can to make this wakame leave.
Quote: “I had that moment of ‘Oh God, this is it, it’s here,’ ” said Dr. Zabin, a biologist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. “I was really hoping I was wrong.”
Photo:
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| Pictured is wakame, or Asian Kelp, in the water. |
Questions:
1) It was mentioned in the article that the wakame emitted an odor that made beachgoers unwilling to go to the beach. If an occurrence such as this happened at the Jersey Shore, would you decide not to go to the beach because of the smell?
2) What are some ways the water police could stop invasive species from coming over?
3) If you were Dr. Zabin, would you take her approach and instead of being upset that the government isn't giving the fund any money, try and fix the problem yourself? Why or why not?
I agree, this is actually very disturbing. If this wakame makes it all the way up the coast of Canada it could affect fishing industries and a lot else if they don’t find a way to stop it soon. In the picture, i think the water looks murky and unhealthy. This could potentially upset the water system of San Francisco if it gets out of hand.
ReplyDelete1. I have never been specifically to the Jersey Shore, but the beach is definitely a highlight of my summer, and I don’t think I would go if it smelled bad; it wouldn't be worth it.
2. They could do a monthly check of they bays to see if anything suspicious-looking is there. That way, if they find something, they can get rid of it before it takes over.
3. I would probably be upset, but if the government isn’t going to change its mind, there is no use in getting too upset over it, so I would want to take action and do something myself, start a campaign to raise money, or something like that.
I also agree that this article is very disturbing. Its scary to see that the water patrol isn't do anything about invasive species in the waters because thats basically one of their jobs is. Like Micheala, I think that the fishing industries are going to suffer if the wakame or any other invasive species moves towards Canada.
ReplyDelete1.) I would not go to the beach if it had an odor. It would completely ruin the whole experience and put everyone in a bad mood.
I think this is just the government being stupid, if I could I would put a lot of time and effort into getting rid of this species before it causes to much havoc. I find this species as a serious threat to the normal life of this ecosystem and could cause problems for many of the native species.
ReplyDeleteMy questions:
1. Why is the government not doing anythig about this?
2. What would you do if you were the government?