California Sea Grant College Program

Among the many invasions that have stressed coastal marine systems in recent years, none have had such broad-reaching biological and political impacts as the Caulerpa taxifolia invasions of the Mediterranean Sea, Australia, and the United States. From its initial invasion of the northwest Mediterranean in 1984, to its discovery in Agua Hedionda Lagoon and Huntington Harbour in the summer of 2000 in California, this invasive alga has produced dramatic changes both in the biological landscape of coastal bays and estuaries and the political landscape of invasive species management.