Marine pest reporting: why we love false alarms

The power of marine pest surveillance increases exponentially if everyone - divers, fishers, sailors, kayakers and waterskiiers - keeps an eye out for unusual creatures and reports anything unusual.

And you don’t need to be completely sure - no one wants to be the person that is wrong, but experts say they would rather get 1000 false alarms than miss the one that is right. 

It can be easy to mistake friendly natives for pests - native starfish for example can look very similar to the formidable invader the Northern Pacific Sea star (Asterias amurensis)  - but the native exists in balance with the local ecosystem while the pest species has the potential to forever change the places we love. 

Get familiar with the key species by using the online tools at marinepests.nz, getting copies of printed guides, and even attending our marine pest ID webinars. 

If you find something suspicious, take a photo and report the exact location at report.mpi.govt.nz or by calling 0800 80 99 66 or let your local council know.  

Photo / Tonmeistermat at iStock and Julianne Stuart