Cawthron’s marine pest management research programme hits its stride
The first year of Cawthron’s MBIE-funded research programme to accelerate effective marine pest management in Aotearoa was marked by a Science Update hui in Nelson at the end of July. More than 30 programme researchers, stakeholders, and programme advisors convened to discuss progress on pest management governance, tactical tools, and technologies to control or remove marine pests. Marine pest control is about a century behind terrestrial counterparts, and the programme intends to be a catalyst for closing that gap rapidly with the right tools and proactive approach.
All workstreams are underway at this 9-month mark and strong progress has been made on several technical aspects of the programme, including:
Computational tools for tactical action – we are developing new models of pest spread to understand how best to allocate effort for pest control or eradication. This is a key first step that uses hydrodynamic data to understand where species ‘particles’ are likely to move. When integrated with pest population models later on, the tool will help biosecurity managers decide on an optimal approach for where and when to allocate resources for in-water action.
Advanced marine pest control technologies – several approaches for pest removal have made a strong start including an experimental gene drive to control invasive sea squirts; newly developed chemistry for species specific control in the sea (targeting ship worms and the damage they cause); novel biocontrol methods for invasive seaweed; and an AI-enabled trap for targeted removal of pest crabs.
Operational scaling of existing tools – our project partners at the Patuharakeke Pou Moana (marine) group are suppressing invasive Mediterranean fanworm populations in their rohe moana in southern Whangārei Harbour. They removed 13,500 fanworm in 10 field days and will use programme support to extend and intensify this effort to understand the relationship between removal, re-immigration rates, and protecting their taonga species.
A Stakeholder Advisory Group of key representatives has been established from across New Zealand’s biosecurity system, including Biosecurity New Zealand, Department of Conservation, the Environmental Protection Authority, and multiple regional councils. These stakeholders are advising us to ensure our approaches are fit-for-purpose and will be implemented via alignment with active biosecurity operations.
Invasive Undaria seaweed (left) can dominate rocky shores when it finds gaps to exploit. Certain native seaweeds (right) can control Undaria and help biodiversity to rebound on our shorelines. By developing hatchery techniques to grow and deploy native species, we can give native species a leg up to suppress the invader and create self-sustaining (scalable) resistance and resilience for intertidal and shallow rocky reefs (Photos: Paul South, Cawthron).
Opportunities for broader engagement with the programme will be rolling out in the coming months and you can reach out to Ian or Patrick for more information (Ian.Davidson@cawthron.org.nz; Patrick.Cahill@cawthron.org.nz).
Image / Cawthron Institute