Innovation profile: UV treatment for marine pest incursions

If there was a silver lining in the fight against the exotic caulerpa seaweed, it’s the considerable local innovation that is making tools available to fight the war against marine pests. 

This issue, we profile an underwater rig of UV-C lamps delivering a “lighting strike” of UV-C light to marine pests.

In early trials it has been shown to wipe out over 90% of exotic caulerpa at depths of 7-8m. It’s also a gentle option, which can be applied without disturbing the seabed or fragmenting the weed, meaning there is less risk of spreading it. 

Backed by multi-million dollar funding, a new UV-C array is under development by Advanced Aquarium Technologies to target caulerpa without needing divers. 

The system can operate from shallow zones down to 40 m depth. Scaled up, this chemical-free technology could become another tool in the toolbox for the country’s future incursion management 

Clean Below? Good to Go shares information from time to time about new products. These are not recommendations and many factors must be taken into account when considering solutions to marine pests. If you have a product for us to consider in a future issue, please email info@marinepests.nz with details.