A renewed emergency declaration and a fresh round of grant funding are keeping the Port of San Diego on the front lines of an ongoing battle taking place quietly beneath the surface of San Diego Bay.
The Port has secured $200,000 from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response Fund to support continued diver surveys and eradication efforts targeting an invasive tropical alga known as Caulerpa prolifera. At the same time, the Board of Port Commissioners has once again extended its local emergency declaration, a status first adopted on November 14, 2023, after the alga was discovered in the Coronado Cays. The most recent action extends the emergency for an additional 60 days, through March 15, 2026, marking the 18th continuance of the declaration.
While largely unnoticed by those enjoying the bay above the waterline, the threat posed by Caulerpa is significant. The fast-growing alga spreads rapidly through fragmentation, meaning even small pieces broken off by tidal movement, boat traffic, or fishing activity can drift and take root elsewhere. Once established, it can quickly overwhelm native seaweeds and eelgrass, altering habitat and disrupting the marine food web…