Budget Sinks Caulerpa Kill

[mrmoshe]

Budget sinks caulerpa kill

21Dec06

AFTER spending nearly $150,000 trying to control the invasive and rapidly proliferating marine noxious weed Caulerpa taxifolia in Pittwater, the Primary Industries Department has withdrawn all funding for the eradication program and will now only spend $2300 educating boat owners.

Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said the presence of sensitive seagrasses in the area made the eradication from Pittwater impractical.

But according to a document obtained under Freedom of Information by the State Opposition, the department spent nearly $150,000 on eradicating caulerpa from 2001-2006 then axed the funding in 2006-2007, apart from a few thousand dollars for public education.

A briefing note to the department's director-general says applying salt to the weed beds ``may reduce the density of caulerpa and its spread . . . but caulerpa beds have also reduced or disappeared from areas where no salt has ever been applied''.

The briefing note recommends cutting back or stopping salt application in Pittwater (and other infestation sites in NSW) to save $47,550 and instead spending $2300 in public education.

Opposition environment spokesman Mike Richardson said the Government ``has given up the fight against caulerpa just to save a few dollars''.

``It's ridiculous the Government can't find $47,550 to maintain the fight against one of the most destructive marine pests ever to enter NSW marine waters,'' he said.

[namesay]

Why am I not surprised to hear that!!! We spend a few hundred grand on parliamentary christmas parties but not to control caulerpa. Just government being government.....brain less Di&$Heads! BUT wait a second....we put them there!!! Cheers kelvin

[Luringbream]

What kind of control measures were taken to battle Caulerpa taxifolia?

I remember 3 years ago botany bay was being plagued by the weed but i havnt seen any signs of it since. Every time we'd pull up our crab traps we'd literally get almost a kilo of taxifolia attached to it. I know that they were warning fisherman and putting signs up but i dont recall any serious control measures that were taken that may have reduced the spread?

This article talks about pittwater, but as for botany bay, i believe that the sea did its thing and naturally flushed it all away??

DAN