We’re on the same page as our mates at Biosecurity New Zealand — and we’re stoked to share their latest video! Fishing legend Matt Watson talks boaties through what to look out for and how to protect our boating paradise from unwanted pests.

With boat owners in Northland reporting that some fouling species are increasingly resistant to antifoul, the New Zealand Marina Operators Association (NZMOA) wants more choice in the market.

Work continues on a shared approach to managing marine pests across the upper North Island, as the four northernmost regions join forces to make it easier for boaties and operators to protect our waters.

Seagrass, a flowering marine plant commonly found in shallow harbours up and down the country, is a species with huge benefit to our local ecosystem - and can be a natural defence against pest species.

That’s one of the questions we get regularly asked about marine pest management. It’s a fair question — and wouldn’t it be great if the solution was that simple?

Lurking quietly in sheltered harbours and bays, Styela clava – the clubbed tunicate – has made itself at home in our waters. Tough-skinned and leathery, this sea squirt makes its home on hard surfaces like wharf piles, mooring lines, and aquaculture gear. 

A cruiser was surprised - and worried - when he pulled up a substantial amount of seaweed that looked like it could be exotic caulerpa in Paradise Bay at Urupukapuka.

Last year over 700 boat owners who have boats moored in marinas around Aotearoa New Zealand responded to a survey about hull cleaning and the great news is that most were concerned about the spread of marine pests, the harm they can do, and felt that boaters have responsibility to play their part. 

Around the country, successful responses to detections of Mediterranean fanworm, an Unwanted Organism and an Notifiable Organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993, underline the importance of vigilant surveillance and prompt response.

Kiwi fishing personality Matt Watson is sharing the marine biosecurity “protect our paradise” message with his viewers this autumn.

Following the conclusion of the highly successful Marine Biosecurity Toolbox research programme, Cawthron Institute has received funding from the 2024 MBIE Endeavour Fund to tackle the next step in the biosecurity continuum: eradication and management. 

Biosecurity is a top priority for the aquaculture industry, as farmers have seen first-hand the consequences of marine invasions.

Hull Shield ultrasonic antifouling systems use high-frequency sound waves to reduce fouling on boats and other submerged surfaces.

Caution for yellow-eyed mullet catchers in Mahurangi River

The Japanese mantis shrimp (Oratosquilla oratoria) has been detected for the first time in the Bay of Plenty region.

“It can be confronting to find out that your boat is not compliant but all boats get fouled so there is no blame - however if there is a pest species onboard it’s important that they know before they head to somewhere like the Mercs or Great Barrier and maybe take the pest with them”

Also known as wakame and Asian kelp, Undaria is a species of kelp native to the cold temperate coasts of the northwest Pacific Ocean, and considered to be one of the most invasive marine algae species in the world.

The Level of Fouling scale (LoF) ranks hulls across six categories, based on the amount of fouling you can see on a vessel’s submerged surfaces.

If your boat lives full time in the water, you might have heard the term ‘hull grooming’ - an approach that’s catching on within the maritime community.