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Undaria pinnatifida (aquatic plant, alga)   |
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Management Information
Preventative measures: Undaria has a microscopic phase in its life cycle, and it is thought that eradication of this species is unlikely to succeed. The approach to undaria management would thus be to slow its spread and reduce the chances of it reaching new locations. In addition to natural dispersal the role of human mediated vectors; ballast water, attachment to hulls, marine equipment etc plays a major role in the spread of undaria. Vector management and awareness would go a long way in slowing its spread. In the long-term, it is hoped that eventually there could be systems to treat vessel hulls with UV light or high-pressure, heated water to kill harmful spores and bacteria quickly and efficiently (MPA NEWS, December 2004/ January 2005).A two year study was undertaken for the Department of Environment and Heritage (Australia) by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to identify and rank introduced marine species found within Australian waters and those not found within Australian waters.
All of the non-native potential target species identified in this report are ranked as high, medium and low priority, based on their invasion potential and impact potential. A hazard ranking of potential domestic target species based on invasion potential from infected to uninfected bioregions identifies Undaria pinnatifida as a 'medium priority species' - these species have a reasonably high impact/or invasion potential.
For more details, please see Hayes et al. 2005.
The rankings determined in Hayes et al. 2005 will be used by the National Introduced Marine Pest Coordinating Group in Australia to assist in the development of national control plans which could include options for control, eradication and/or long term management.  
Location Specific Management InformationAuckland Region (North Island)
The Parks and Heritage Committee of the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) has asked for a report in August 2005 on the distribution of the seaweed in the Auckland region and the estimated costs of eradicating or controlling it (ARC: Media release, 13th July 2005).
A delimitation survey carried out between July 14th and 22nd 2005 found undaria on only one site outside the harbour, on Kawau Island. The infestation at one jetty was found to be extensive but contained. The Parks and Heritage Committee of the ARC who believe that the infestation can be eradicated estimate the immediate cost of removal to be between $20,000 to $40,000. An estimate for an integrated management option to prevent the spread of undaris to high value sites within the region is between $1.62million and $2.67million (ARC: Media release, 10th August 2005). Chatham Is. (Chatham Islands)
Report on Eradication: The remoteness of the Chatham Islands has helped protect it from exotic species,including undaria, an unwanted seaweed already established in New Zealand. So it was a potential disaster when in March 2000, a fishing boat sank with undaria on its hull. Ministry of Fisheries, New Zealand ordered the vessel to be moved (using its powers under the Biosecurity Act) but weather prevented salvage attempts.MFish then decided to use new treatment techniques to eradicate the seaweed from the hull. The hull was heat-treated (effectively,the vessel was ‘cooked ’) to kill the microscopic stages of undaria,
which can’t survive high temperatures. Plywood boxes with foam seals were attached to the hull by magnets. Electric elements (powered by a diesel generator on the surface support vessel) inside the boxes heated the seawater to 70 ºC for 10 minutes, with a flame torch used for inaccessible areas. It took divers four weeks to complete the treatment, but a monthly monitoring programme over three years indicates the eradication has been entirely successful. The Chatham Islands’ shoreline has been surveyed regularly for undaria and no plants have been found. Monterey Harbor
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), off the US state of California, is working to fight the invasion of a seaweed species that has colonized a harbor neighboring the MPA, and personnel recognize the challenge they face. At the time of the colony’s discovery, Monterey Harbor was already host to dozens of documented alien species, although no concerted eradication attempts had yet been made by authorities. But Undaria — with its rapid growth and high fecundity, among other characteristics — was particularly viewed as a potential threat to the sanctuary’s native kelp forests located nearby.
With the invasion localized to the harbor at that point, MBNMS moved to address it and, if possible, eradicate it. First, researchers determined the extent of the colonization. “Initially several individuals were found, but subsequent searches in late 2001 and early 2002 indicated that Undaria was more broadly distributed in the harbor than had originally been thought,” says Steve Lonhart, scientist with MBNMS.
State and sanctuary officials launched a formal Undaria management program in October 2002. It has involved a team of volunteer divers removing Undaria manually from harbor docks and pilings, with research volunteers collecting data on Undaria locations. So far it appears that the Undaria is keeping pace with the eradication effort. “Given its spread from the center of the harbor to adjacent areas, it is likely that spores are being carried beyond the confines of the harbor,” says Lonhart.
He recognizes that eradication of the plant is not possible unless the vector of transmission — vessel hulls in this case — is addressed. “Even if all Undaria were removed from Monterey Harbor, there are no mechanisms in place to prevent reintroduction by vessels entering from infected harbors in Southern California,” says Lonhart. “Thus eradication is not a viable option. However, management of the population can reduce the rate of spread to the adjacent open coast and to harbors north of Monterey, and this is currently the main objective.”
One management option would be to develop a market for the harbor’s Undaria, which is commercially grown elsewhere in the world and used in miso soup. Lonhart says a local export company determined that samples of the Monterey Undaria were suitable for human consumption, but that the amount in the harbor was too low so far to be commercially feasible. The concept of harvesting Undaria as food for farmed abalone has also been considered, although it would need to be done in a way to avoid spreading Undaria spores in the process.
Considering the likely vector by which Undaria arrived, would hull-cleaning programs be an option for the sanctuary, including to prevent introduction of additional aliens? Lonhart says that is unlikely. “A program to clean vessels would require a tremendous amount of infrastructure (e.g., a location for inspecting hulls, cleaning them, and managing this information), a significant long-term financial investment, and a program to monitor its success,” he says. Unlike the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, simply too many vessels use Monterey Harbor to make such a program possible, for now. Lonhart hopes that eventually there could be systems to treat vessel hulls with UV light or high-pressure, heated water to kill harmful spores and bacteria quickly and efficiently. In the meantime, MBNMS is monitoring Undaria’s spread and its eventual interaction with the native kelp (MPA NEWS, December 2004/ January 2005). Nelson
U. pinnatifida is designated as a 'Regional surveillance pest' by the the Tasman-Nelson Regional Pest Management Strategy. The strategy has its effect over the combined area that lies within the administrative boundaries of the Tasman District Council and Nelson City Council. The objective of the strategy is to promote the control of Undaria and continue surveillance on its distribution. Another objective is to improve the public understanding of its impact and to provide advice and education to vessel owners on identifying and controlling Undaria. Please see Hierarchy of Plant Designations for an explanation of designation terminology. New Zealand
An action plan developed by the Ministry of Fisheries includes the following steps to slow the spread of
undaria in New Zealand:
- Implementing vector management programmes in selected areas;
- Educating a wide range of marine stakeholders on how to avoid spreading undaria;
- Researching ways to treat vectors so as to minimise the amount of
vector transported undaria; and
- Supporting regional initiatives to control undaria by developing treatment methods and education material.
Advice given to help reduce the spread of undaria are:
- Applying antifouling paint to your boat’s hull regularly;
- Regularly cleaning hulls in a facility with collection and land-based disposal
of fouling material – preventing fouling from returning to the sea;
- Cleaning fishing and aquaculture gear thoroughly and away from the sea
before using it in a new locality;
- Preventing the build up of fouling on buoys by allowing them to dry out
occasionally;
- Supporting the undaria management initiatives in your area.
Snares Is./Tini Heke (sub-Antarctic) (New Zealand sub-Antarctic Islands)
There are plans to conduct a survey of the surrounding area and neighbouring bay of the infected site, remove as many plants as could be found, investigate the plants’ maturity states and, through DNA testing, determine where the plants were transferred from. An assessment of eradication possibilities is being considered. Tasman District
U. pinnatifida is designated as a 'Regional surveillance pest' by the the Tasman-Nelson Regional Pest Management Strategy. The strategy has its effect over the combined area that lies within the administrative boundaries of the Tasman District Council and Nelson City Council. The objective of the strategy is to promote the control of Undaria and continue surveillance on its distribution. Another objective is to improve the public understanding of its impact and to provide advice and education to vessel owners on identifying and controlling Undaria. Please see Hierarchy of Plant Designations for an explanation of designation terminology. Venice
In order to evaluate the dynamics of substrate re-colonisation by undaria, two mechanical eradications were carried out during (March) and after the fertile period (July) of the
algae in the lagoon of Venice. These experimental manipulations provided evidence of the fast re-colonisation potential of the algae mainly attributed to its efficient
reproductive system. Eradication attempts made during the fertile period, in fact,
permitted the kelp development during the following year, while re-colonisation
has started 2 years later where eradication was performed after the reproductive
period. A significant decrease in the surface covered by other species has been
observed both in shallow (Ulva rigida, Enteromorpha spp., Antithamnion
pectinatum, Chondracanthus acicularis) and deeper areas (Rhodymenia ardissonei) during the period of maximum development of U. pinnatifida. On the basis of the results of this study, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) the alga U. pinnatifida is continuously expanding in lagoon environments of Venice; (2) in
order to limit its spreading, mechanical eradications would be done on a large
spatial scale and before the zoospores release; (3) there is suggestive evidence
of competition between Undaria and the remaining indigenous algae.
Management Resources/Links
1. Brown, M. T. and Lamare, M. D. 1994. The distribution of Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar within Timaru harbour, New Zealand. Japanese Journal of Phycology 42: 63-70. 2. Castric Fey, A., Beaupoil, C., Bouchain, J., Pradier, E. and L'Hardy Halos, M. T. 1999. The introduced alga Undaria pinnatifida (Laminariales, Alariaceae) in the rocky shore ecosystem of the St Malo area: morphology and growth of the sporophyte. Botanica Marina 42: 71-82. 3. Castric Fey, A., Girard, A. and L'hardy Halos, M. T. 1993. The distribution of Undaria pinnatifida on the coast of the Saint Malo (Brittany, France). Botanica Marina 36: 351-358. 4. Cecere, E., Petrocelli, A. and Saracino, O. D. 2000. Undaria pinnatifida (Fucophyceae, Laminariales) spread in the central Mediterranean: its occurrence in the Mar Piccolo of taranto (Ionian Sea, southern Italy). Cryptogamie, Algologie 21: 305-309. 5. Curiel, D. Guidetti, P. Bellemo, G. Scattolin, M. Marzocchi, M. 2002. The introduced alga Undaria pinnatifida (Laminariales, Alariaceae) in the Lagoon
of Venice. Hydrobiologia. vol. 477, no. 1, pp. 209-219.
Summary: Study on undaria invasion in Venice, Italy. 6. Fletcher, R. L. and Farrell, P. 1999. Introduced brown algae in the North East Atlantic, with particular respect to Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar. Helgolander Meeresuntersuchungen 52: 259-275. 7. Fletcher, R. L. and Manfredi, C. 1995. The occurrence of Undaria pinnatifida (Phaeophyceae, Laminariales) on the South Coast of England. Botanica Marina 38: 355-358. 8. Floc'h, J. Y., Pajot, R. and Mouret, V. 1996. Undaria pinnatifida (Laminariales, Phaeophyta) 12 years after its introduction into the Atlantic Ocean. Hydrobiologia 326/327: 217-222. 9. Floc'h, J. Y., Pajot, R. and Wallentinus, I. 1988. The Japanese brown alga Undaria pinnatifida on the coasts of France and the possibilities of its establishment in european waters. International Council Exploration Sea, CIES, Bergen 10 October 198. 16pp. 10. Forrest, B. 2000. A management strategy for the Asian kelp Undaria? Aliens 12. 11. Forrest, B. M., Brown, S. N., Taylor, M. D., Hurd, C. L. and Hay, C. H. 2000. The role of natural dispersal mechanisms in the spread of Undaria pinnatifida (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae). Phycologia 39: 547-553
Summary: Study of dispersal of Undaria pinnatifida. 12. Hay, C. H. 1990. The dispersal of sporophytes of Undaria pinnatifida by coastal shipping in new Zealand, and implications for further dispersal of Undaria in France. British Phycological Journal 25: 301-313. 13. Hay, C. H. and Luckens, P. A. 1987. The Asian kelp Undaria pinnatifida (Phaeophyta, Laminariales) found in a New Zealand harbour. New Zealand Journal Botany 25: 364-366. 20. Saito, Y. (1975). Undaria. IN: Advance of phycology in Japan, (Tokida, J., Hirose, H. Eds) Dr. W. Junk b.v., The Hague304-320. 21. Sanderson, J. C. 1990. A preliminary survey of the distribution of the introduced macroalga, Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) suringar on the coast of Tasmania, Australia. Botanica Marina 33: 153-157. 22. Silva, P.C. Woodfield, R.A. Cohen, A.N. Harris, L.H. Goddard, J.H.R. 2002.
First report of the Asian kelp Undaria pinnatifida in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Biological Invasions vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 333-338.
Summary: Distribution of undaria in the Pacific. 23. Tasman District Council (TDC) 2001. Tasman-Nelson Regional Pest Management Strategy Results Page: 1
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