Re: Caulerpa prolifera & biological control

March 21, 2003
From: Cynthia Trowbridge

Dear Bill and Thierry,
Thank you for your message, Thierry. Good to hear from you :-)

First, thank you for correcting me about the Caulerpa prolifera vs. racemosa ... I realized my error the minute I hit the send button on my message. I was about to send in a correction.
Second, Thierry, I admire your work very much. Indeed, I wish you would publish more as you are the leading person in the field with Caulerpa-feeding slugs.
Third, there are many labs working on the possibility of biological control with sacoglossans - I can think of at least 4 - so there is no need to personalize any comments.

Finally, you suggested that you consider that the Caulerpa-slug problem is different from other marine biological control cases in the public eye. Respectfully, I do not agree. As a resident of Oregon, one state away from where the field testing of insect-Spartina marine biological control is now happening, I can attest to the public feeling. In a state where crab harvest is a crucial part of our economy, I can attest to the public feeling about the proposed parasitic castrators that can change hosts from green crabs to native crabs.

Part of the issue of the Caulerpa-slug case is that too often the newspapers and other popular media state that the slugs are "the last hope" and "better than nothing". Most scientists would prefer to hear that feeding preference experiments have demonstrated that slugs are effective at reducing pest alga biomass, are highly specific, etc., etc. - thus indicating that it is a science-based management approach.

To quote a famous marine ecologist, "Ecology is no longer a spectator's sport": we need to get involved to solve problems. But, as scientists, we do need to ensure that the solutions are science-based. Thierry, I encourage you to keep publishing your science as your studies are essential to understanding the complex issue.

Thank you for considering my comments.
Cordially,
Cynthia

trowbric@onid.orst.edu

Trowbridge, C., 2003 (Mar 21) Re: Caulerpa prolifera & biological control. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/9460

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