Rugulopteryx okamurae

Rugulopteryx okamurae

Overview

Habitat
  • Inhabits marine environments, growing on hard substrates such as rocks in the shallow sub-tidal
Description
  • A brown seaweed with a branched thallus, growing 10-20cm tall
  • It develops and colonises rapidly, sometimes covering 90-100% of hard seabed substrates
  • Rhizoids (a root like structure), present at the base of the algae, are used to attach to substrata
  • Can be misidentified as other algae from the Dictyota genus
  • Abundance of R. okamurae decreases with water depth
  • Hundreds of individuals can be produced from a single specimen
  • Detached fragments can float and then reattach to hard substrata
Origin and Worldwide Distribution
  • Native to the warm and temperate north-western Pacific Ocean of Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan and the Philippines
  • Introduced to the Thau Lagoon in France, the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of southern Spain and the Gibraltar Strait
Potential or Known Impacts
  • The rapid colonisation displaces native species and reduces biodiversity in the short-term
  • Alters community structure in the long-term
  • Large quantities of R. okamurae biomass wash onto beaches impacting tourism, public health and commercial fisheries
  • Floating biomass has reduced the capture rates of local inshore fisheries and increased net cleaning costs
Is it found in Northern Ireland?
  • It is not currently present in Northern Ireland
How could it get here?
  • Introductions are likely to be unintentional and possibly associated with ship ballast waters
  • Once established, spread can occur via transport of fishing gear or recreational watercraft and through natural dispersal of the species
Management/Methods for Prevention
  • Prevention via enforcing the IAS (Enforcement and Permitting) Order (Northern Ireland) ensuring that R. Okamurae is not introduced to Northern Ireland
  • Reporting any sightings so that Rapid Response can be instigated
Current Legislative Position (Listed on 02 August 2022)
  • This species must not intentionally be brought into the Union; kept; bred; transported to, from or within the United Kingdom, unless for the transportation to facilities in the context of eradication; placed on the market; used or exchanged; permitted to reproduce, grown or cultivated; or released into the environment.
For further queries, you can contact the Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) Team in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency on 028 9056 9558 or Email: invasivespecies@daera-ni.gov.uk

Species Related Files:

Invasive Species Northern Ireland

Invasive Species Northern Ireland