Canoe club gets serious about didymo

Bernie Kelly takes the vertical
route in the Kaituna River,
near Rotorua.
Photo: courtesy of Bernie Kelly

In a proactive move, members of Hawke's Bay Canoe Club are strictly sticking to the Check, Clean, Dry procedure in order to protect the rivers they love from the invasive aquatic pest, didymo.

Though based far from known didymo infestations, the club has decided to do its bit to prevent any risk of spread, after members observed a demonstration on didymo risks and proper cleaning methods during a kayaking trip to the Tongariro River.

"These guys were saying, 'this is what we want all kayakers to be doing in the North Island'," explains Hawke's Bay Canoe Club member Bernie Kelly.

"They demonstrated how to clean boats out using the simplest methods available.

"We decided that as a club we should be proactive about this. The rivers we kayak on are important to us - we'd hate for them to be infected with didymo."

The club purchased buckets, sponges and chemicals to store in the club trailer.

"Whenever we go on a club trip, at the end of the trip before we put the boats back on the trailer, we fill those buckets up, we sponge the boats down, we rinse them out."

"We feel as though we're doing the right thing there. Sometimes, we can see other guys paddling independently and they just biff their boats on the car and away they go. Hopefully we're showing by example what they should be doing."

Bernie is not aware of other North Island regional clubs taking similar measures, and thinks didymo prevention practices may not yet be common amongst other North Island-based kayakers.

On a recent club trip to the Waikato River, he and other club members witnessed some didymo apathy firsthand. "One guy who was paddling by himself needed a lift with his boat. We were all cleaning out our boats, and offered to take his boat to his car. He said, 'that'd be good - don't worry about cleaning it out.' We cleaned it out for him anyway.

"Even though people are aware there's a message, they can somehow think it doesn't really mean them."

Bernie says kayakers, with their very transportable gear, need to take more responsibility for helping prevent the spread of didymo.

"Fishermen have had the finger pointed at them, but I think kayakers are equally responsible. The New Zealand Recreational Canoeing Association is pretty good at putting the message out there in their newsletters - they're aware.

"If we promote awareness of didymo through high profile, respected kayakers, then the younger guys will listen.

"Most kayakers are pretty responsible kind of people. They would take this on."

New Zealand Recreational Canoeing Association: