Glaring At The Sea

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network has an excellent article summarizing the current problems plaguing the Adriatic Sea following an incursion of the invasive alga Caulerpa racemosa. It is now recognized that Caulerpa, first discovered in 2000, is likely a permanent part of the Adriatic, however there has yet to be any plan put into place to control its movement. While a few countries bordering the Adriatic, including France, Croatia and Montenegro, have allocated low levels of funding towards Caulerpa control, the article notes that a coordinated, regional effort would be most effective at preventing the further spread of the seaweed. One roadblock to such an effort is the bad political blood that remains between some countries following the wars that occurred in the Balkans during the 1990s.

Adriatic Seized

The "killer algae" (Caulerpa taxifolia) and its lesser-known cousin C. racemosa are making their presence known in Croatia. According to this report from Reuters, large patches of the algae are showing up all over the Croatian side of the Adriatic Sea, threatening tourism as well as marine biodiversity. The two species apparently arrived in the area during the mid-1990s, and now cover hundreds of acres. Interested readers may also want to check out this article, translated from French by Google, about the same species.

Bonus points to Reuters for using scientific names.