Marine Biosecurity Watch At Port Taranaki

A biosecurity survey of the waters of Port Taranaki was recently conducted as part of regular monitoring of a dozen New Zealand ports and marinas deemed high-risk biosecurity areas. The port has been part of MPI’s National Marine High Risk Site Surveillance (NMHRSS) programme since 2009, with marine surveys undertaken each summer and winter.

The surveillance surveys identify potential seasonal changes in the abundance and distribution of marine non-indigenous species, says NIWA Principal Technician Marine Ecology Louis Olsen, who has led the team surveying Port Taranaki for the last seven years, the only west coast port in the programme. "The main aim of the surveys is to detect five primary target species: Pacific sea star, European shore crab, Aquarium caulerpa (alga), Chinese mitten crab and Asian clam. These species have not yet been detected within our waters but are identified as high-risk to our economy, environment, and societal values, based on how much damage they could cause and their history of invasive traits within other countries."

The NMHRSS programme also looks out for specific secondary target pest species that have been detected around New Zealand but with restricted distributions, as well as marine species not previously recorded within our waters. "From our work at other surveillance sites we are familiar with the native and introduced species, but if something different is found, we get it formally identified and notify MPI. Sometimes we get interesting fish coming across the Tasman Sea from Australia."

The data that our surveys collect on species not only assists MPI’s marine biosecurity management, but also helps Taranaki Regional Council and other territorial authorities, Māori partners, industry, and the many stakeholders who benefit from a port free from invasive species, he says.

The survey, which takes three or four days, involves divers, boat skippers, scientists and technicians, with dives, seafloor sampling, shoreline searches, and trapping, including using crab ‘condo’ habitat traps. "The surveys are a significant part of NIWA’s marine biosecurity work. It’s a really important part of the science that we do to ensure our coasts remain safe from invasive species."

Once the taxonomic identity of any suspect samples taken are confirmed, MPI can inform Taranaki Regional Council, Māori partners, industry, and the many stakeholders with a vested interest of the survey results. Survey results from across all NMHRSS programme surveys are also uploaded to the open access Marine Biosecurity Porthole ( Home » Marine Biosecurity Porthole ), a collaboration between Biosecurity New Zealand and NIWA to provide greater access to information and data on marine non-indigenous species in New Zealand.

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