Communication - one of the keys to effective marine biosecurity
The ongoing response to the incursion of the sea squirt Styela clava has demonstrated the importance of effective communication and its value in bringing about good biosecurity behaviours.
Once it became apparent it was not going to be feasible to eradicate the sea squirt, communication and social marketing tools became a key part of the response, in a bid to slow the spread of the organism to high-value sites.
The surest way of slowing the spread of marine pests generally is having vessel owners clean and anti-foul their boat hulls. And this message was the core of Biosecurity New Zealand's (BNZ's) extensive communication programme over summer 2005/06.
That programme widely spread information about Styela clava, how it is transported, and the importance of clean vessel hulls. The programme included paid media advertising, media advisories, extensive fact sheet distribution, work with boating/yachting/fishing/aquaculture organisations, and even putting a team of advisers in key marinas to answer questions and hand out information.
This summer boating season, the effort continues. A new advertising programme began at Labour Weekend. The ads take a general approach while maintaining the aim of preventing the sea squirt's spread. It is running in specifically targeted publications read by key audiences, such as yachties, fishing industry, aquaculture and divers.
As well as fostering good biosecurity behaviour amongst boaties, this year's campaign is also seeking help with ongoing surveillance for the sea squirt and other marine pests. The December/January issue of Dive New Zealand magazine will carry a set of laminated, waterproof identification cards to draw divers' attention to a set of eight unwanted marine pests. Early detection of such pests will give BNZ an opportunity to respond in the early stages of any incursion, increasing the likelihood of eradication.
As well as the Styela clava work programme, BNZ is also focusing communication efforts on a different marine pest, another sea squirt that's affecting the Marlborough Sounds - Didemnum vexillum. This particular pest has the potential to seriously affect the local mussel industry and the marine environment.
BNZ is collaborating with a local working group incorporating the marine farming industry, the Marlborough District Council, Cawthron Institute and the Department of Conservation.
A press advertising programme is targeting both local and visiting yachties to the Sounds, along with marine users generally, in a bid to both prevent the spread and encourage reports of potential sightings. As well, a comprehensive fact sheet on the organism is being widely distributed throughout the Sounds. And a radio promotion ran at the local marinas during Marlborough Anniversary Weekend, at the end of October.
Looking ahead, work is underway on a wide-ranging communications strategy for the whole field of marine biosecurity. This plan will set out how good communication can bring about the desired effects of minimising biosecurity risk, having a highly informed public, and the early detection of any pests or diseases before they get out of hand.
- Lesley Patston, Senior Communications Adviser, Biosecurity New Zealand, phone 04 894 0163 or 029 894 0163, lesley.patston@maf.govt.nz
Back to Biosecurity Magazine - Issue 71
Page last updated: 7 October 2008