aquaticinvasives808's Identifications

I observed some gorilla ogo, Gracillaria salicornis, on the beach at Kawaikui Beach Park, both fresh and dried.

This species was introduced in Hawaii for aquaculture in 1974. It can grow fast and cover coral reefs and fish ponds. It is an invasive species. Read more about it here: http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/invasive-species-profiles/gorilla-ogo/

Many years ago, during my PhD in zoology at the University of Hawaii, I participated a few times in events to clean up the beaches of invasive seaweed, including gorilla ogo. A team of volunteers on the beach and scuba diving removed a truck-full of seaweeds in about two hours in one occasion, near the Waikiki Aquarium.

In my last visit to Hawaii I was glad to see a lot less seaweeds covering the reefs (although I did not dive, only observed from the beach), but there was a mat of dried gorilla ogo, and some occasional fresh clumps.