Cladophora "side effects" (if any)

Ursula Keuper-Bennett howzit at turtles.org
Sun Jun 27 13:13:28 EDT 1999


Hi all,

I am a lay person/recreational diver.  My husband and I dive each summer in
ocean off Honokowai, West Maui, Hawaii.  This area is blighted by such noxious
seaweeds as Hypnea musciformis since 1991.  We also fell victim to three
Cladophora blooms.  One in 1989, another (the worst) in 1991 and then a
"hiccup" in '92.

Last summer after many years of not seeing this green stuff, our dive site
experienced its fourth Cladophora bloom.

     <http://www.turtles.org/98green.jpg>

     <http://www.turtles.org/98brokn.jpg>

     <http://www.turtles.org/98elk.jpg>

I'm hoping someone has had experience with the "artifacts" of Cladophora blooms
on a coral reef system.  We already know this stuff can suffocate corals (that
happened in our first bloom of 1989).  Has anyone documented the effect a
Cladophora bloom has on various fauna?  

We'll be diving this area again very soon and would appreciate a heads-up on
just what potential effects to look for a year after such a bloom.  Our old
videotape from previous blooms suggests that one species of fish actually
prospered during the blooms.  But we also figure perhaps the effects can work
the other way--negative impacts as well.

And for all we know we could find on our first dive that the green slime is
back for another kick at the kat!  Any advice on the Cladophora "Experience"
would be much appreciated.

And also a very strange question...which is better?  A Cladophora bloom that
eventually fades away or one that "crashes" and disappears within 48 hours
(that happened to us last summer and in 1992).  

Thanks in advance.
-------------------------------------------------
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