Divers from Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Biosecurity Team will be conducting invasive species surveillance in the inner harbour this week.

The project is part of the Mediterranean Fanworm (Sabella Spallanzani) eradication work in collaboration with Biosecurity NZ.

Council’s Biosecurity Team Leader, Phillip Karaitiana, emphasises the importance of diver safety.

"We’d really appreciate boat owners giving the divers plenty of space to carry out their essential work. Keep an eye out for the white dive flag which indicates that our SCUBA divers are working. Boaties must keep a minimum of 200m distance or under 5 knots speed limit."

The divers will be primarily focusing on locating and removing any Mediterranean Fanworm, a persistent threat to the local ecosystem.

"'Additionally, the team will remain vigilant for any signs of new invasive species, including Caulerpa, which has been making its way around northern New Zealand."

"Adverse weather conditions and the aftermath of cyclones forced us to delay our annual dive works initially slated for 2023. This will be the first dive since October 2022."

The dive is scheduled for three days, from 23 to 25 January, but contingent on weather conditions.

For a deeper dive into protecting our coastline head over to Clean Below? Good to go webpage or contact Biosecurity New Zealand on 0800 80 99 66.

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