Despite vessel owners trying their best Mediterranean fan worm are still hitching a ride out of the north and turning up in the south.

Sometimes it’s easy for those of us who work in marine biosecurity to forget that for most of our fellow Kiwis, spotting an invasive marine pest isn’t so simple. Most of us know a fantail when we see it… a fanworm, not so much.

The war against marine pests will rapidly get easier if we can prevent them from growing on artificial structures like marina pontoons and wharf piles.