Currently, it is illegal to import caulerpa into the United States, however, it is legal to possess and sell it - which pet supply shops do for use in saltwater aquariums.
Eradication is extremely difficult and costly.
Even a tiny portion of the plant can regenerate into a new infestation. Once the algae is introduced, it multiplies at a rate of three inches per day and blankets the entire bottom, smothering organisms natural to the ecosystem. Though native to tropical reefs, caulerpa can survive at 50 degree water temperature for up to 3 months and will begin to grow at 55 degrees. Caulerpa was introduced to the Mediterranean by the dumping of an aquarium, and stretches from the Riviera to Croatia. The same situation has been discovered in Huntington Beach, prompting the introduction of this legislation.