These species are already in New Zealand.
We need to stop them spreading:
WAKAME
(Undaria pinnatifida) A fast grower that forms dense colonies on any hard surface - including your boat, shells, reefs, wharf piles and mooring lines. Wakame crowds out native species and steals their light and space. This could mean our favourite dive spots are never to be the same again.
MEDITERRANEAN FANWORM
(Sabella spallanzanii) With an ability to pack in 1,000 individuals per square meter, Mediterranean fanworm makes it difficult for other species in the vicinity to survive. Imagine it doing that in some of our pristine dive spots. It filters large volumes of water, feeding on nutrients and plankton, including the larvae of our much loved recreational fish species. Large numbers attached to your hull could be costing you a whole heap more in fuel too.
ASIAN PADDLE CRAB
(Charybdis japonica) If you see an Asian paddle crab on your travels, you are unlikely to see many other species close by. It is aggressive and quickly out competes our native paddle crabs for space and food. With a vicious bite when disturbed, the adults are strong swimmers and can spread attached to fouling on a boats hull, or as larvae in sea chests or ballast water where they can live for up to a month.
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PYURA SEA SQUIRT
(Pyura doppelgangera) Do your kids love exploring rock pools? Then be cautious about this aggressive competitor that has the potential, in the right conditions, to alter our precious intertidal communities in a significant way - it could even suffocate our beloved green-lipped mussel beds. Currently only found in the upper North Island - we don’t want it spreading further.
AUSTRALIAN DROPLET TUNICATE
(Eudistoma elongatum) With a slimy snot-like appearance this species can form big colonies on rocks, aquaculture equipment and marine structures. In its a free-swimming larval stage it can spread far and wide. It dies-back over winter but in summer it leaves no space for native species and changes the beautiful sights of our local beaches.
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JAPANESE MANTIS SHRIMP
(Oratosquilla oratoria) An aggressive competitor with a dangerous but impressive ‘karate chop’ ability to stun prey. It lives in burrows in the sand and mud, causing damage and making it hard to trap. In large numbers it leaves no space or food for other native crab and shrimp species.
CLUBBED TUNICATE
(Styela clava) The clubbed tunicate prefers to grow on marine structures and boat hulls, affecting your boat’s performance and hitchhiking to other places. It is disliked by the aquaculture industry because it grows in large densities on oyster and mussel lines, suffocating their shellfish, competing for space and food and adding to processing costs.
Thank you to Auckland Council, NIWA, Department of Conservation and Bay of Plenty Council for use of these images.
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REPORTING MARINE PESTS
For comprehensive information about marine pest species, visit the Marine Pest Porthole
