Rock Snot and Illegal Footwear

The state of Maryland has plans to make felt-soled fishing footwear illegal. The felt material has been implicated as a cause of the spread of invasive species, in particular a yellow-brown algae called didymo.

Didymo is short for Didymosphenia geminata. It is commonly called "rock snot."



Didymo or "rock snot"
Interestingly, the experts and authorities are not in complete agreement as to whether rock snot is harmful even while admitting that the algae spreads by several pathways including waders, shoelaces and boat hulls. Therefore, a ban on felt-soled shoes arguably would have minimal impact, if any. Nevertheless, activists remain undeterred.

"I think the cautionary approach to that would be to assume it's going to have some adverse impacts and respond accordingly," said Ron Klauda, a Maryland freshwater fisheries biologist.

So, based on the assumption that rock snot has adverse impacts, the state of Maryland proposes to ban a certain type of footwear.

For the present, only warnings will be issued to violators. Yet to be determined fines and penalties will be effective next year.