Caulerpa taxifolia (Caulerpa) is a bright green, fast growing alga that originates from tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific, including northern Australia.

It is not native to NSW (except Lord Howe Island) and was first identified in mainland coastal locations in 2000.

Caulerpa favours sheltered waters, such as estuaries and coastal lakes.

Despite being a tropical marine alga, Caulerpa has the ability to establish and proliferate in cooler waters like those in NSW.

This Primefact covers the following topics:

• What is Caulerpa taxifolia?
• Why is it a problem?
• How to identify Caulerpa
• What is I&I NSW doing to control Caulerpa?
• What you can do to help
• Caulerpa research in NSW