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Locally, regionally and nationally, the quest to prevent the spread of marine pests continues. Consultation in 2019 showed widespread support for more action to control marine pests and demand for a simple and consistent approach that is easier to understand and implement across regions. Northland Regional Council, Auckland Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Waikato Regional Council, with support from the Ministry for Primary Industries and Department of Conservation, are progressing work to create an inter-regional approach that will reduce the spread of marine pests on vessels.
We now expect that formal consultation will take place in the second half of 2021, and we will keep you posted as it gets closer. Our colleagues at MPI are also working with industry to develop best practice guidance for hull cleaning and antifouling.  Dylan Lease, manager at Tutukaka at Northland, is proud that his marina is pristine. A former ‘Best Environmental Performer’ winner at the New Zealand Marina Awards, the marina is known for going the extra mile when it comes to minimising the impact of its operations.
Therefore he is diligent about ensuring that all vessels entering the marina are free of marine pests – even the working barges travelling to are required to be cleaned and checked before they enter the marina, and to meet Northland Regional Council’s rules too. “We are so proud that we have kept Mediterranean fanworm out of Tutukaka Marina for this long. It has been a battle and commercial boats must follow the same clean hull requirements as recreational boats do,” says Dylan. Divers from Northland to Gisborne are checking for marine pests this summer in order to prevent the spread of marine pests. An underwater survey the waters around Aotea Great Barrier Island (pictured below) has just been completed.  Late in 2019 we interviewed Grant Brown from Sandspit Marina about his quest to keep the marina, built in 2016, free of Mediterranean Fanworm. “I was proud of the fact we were fanworm free,” he says. “We were totally focused on monitoring and eradicating fanworm, but time and conditions have beaten us, and it is now living in the seabed here at Sandspit Marina.” “In the early days, I was conscious of what was going on in Kawau, especially Bon Accord Harbour, which was infested. We felt this meant it was only a matter of time before it found its way here - whether by boat or of its own natural accord,” he says. It’s encouraging news that New Zealand’s two biggest harbours, the Manukau and Kaipara, were found to be free of new-to-New Zealand pest species, and the Mediterranean Fanworm, in large scale underwater surveys completed in 2019. The surveys highlight the importance of being vigilant whenever we move equipment and boats from the east coast to the west coast. Mediterranean Fanworm is deeply damaging to our coastlines and has been on the radar of marine scientists since it was first discovered in the South Island over ten years ago. Thousands of individuals can be found in a single square metre and they feed on nutrients and space with native species. It is now well established in a number of east coast North Island harbours, with concerns it will be carried to otherwise pristine locations. In the Manukau Harbour, the non-indigenous Asian paddle crab Charybdis japonica, nudibranch Okenia pellucida and hydroid Ectopleura crocea were officially detected for the first time. The Asian Paddle crab is known as an aggressive species that is a strong swimmer and may outcompete native crab species for space and food. It spreads via fouling on vessels, or as larvae in ballast water, where it can live for up to a month. In the Kaipara Harbour, the non-indigenous colonial tunicates Botrylloides giganteum, Diplosoma listerianum and Eudistoma elongatum, the Australian dog whelk Tritia burchardi and hydroid Ectopleura crocea were officially detected for the first time. It is recommended that trailer boats, jetskis, canoes, dive gear and fishing gear are washed with freshwater after use and allowed to thoroughly air dry before moving to a new location. Information and resources for boat owners and operators are available at www.marinepests.nz About the surveys:
The surveys, which searched both harbours for target marine pests, were the result of a charter agreement between Auckland Council (utilising the Natural Environment Targeted Rate), Northland Regional Council and Biosecurity New Zealand. It is the first charter agreement of its kind between these agencies and enabled efficient management of this multi-agency project. Baseline surveys for both harbours were carried out in 2006, and since this time over 90 new marine pest species have been discovered in New Zealand. Following consultation with mana whenua and stakeholders, the surveys were carried out between April and May 2019 by NIWA, with local assistance from Council staff and student volunteers. The surveys provided information about presence or absence of target (and non-target) marine pest species, which help to inform marine pest management programmes including the Inter-Regional Marine Pest Pathway Management Plan for the Top of the North Councils. For the results and full reports from the surveys: Kaipara Harbour Manukau Harbour |
