Marine pest management partnership: Building New Zealand's internal marine pest management capability

Marine biosecurity is in its infancy globally, and New Zealand is no exception. The low level of marine biosecurity capability in New Zealand is well recognised, but a collaborative effort between key agencies and stakeholders is beginning to turn this situation around.

The Government allocated new funding in the 2004 Budget to begin to build marine biosecurity capability at a national level. Biosecurity New Zealand (BNZ) has been tasked with developing a comprehensive marine biosecurity programme for New Zealand. This includes leading and coordinating the efforts of all organisations with an interest or role in marine biosecurity.

The marine programme spans all key biosecurity functions from pre-border and border control, through to incursion response, surveillance and pest management, including domestic pathway and vector management. The programme entails considerable planning, research, risk analysis and policy development work.

The historically low level of national marine biosecurity capability is mirrored at a regional level, characterised by limited resources, expertise and application of management frameworks and unclear roles and responsibilities.

There is, however, an increasing awareness and demand for marine biosecurity arising from:

  • high-profile pests Styela clava and Didemnum vexillum (sea squirts) and Undaria pinnatifida (Asian seaweed)
  • increasing use of the marine environment and resources for activities such as aquaculture, tourism and recreation
  • greater understanding of marine biodiversity and the impacts that can occur due to bio-invasions
  • implementing the New Zealand Biodiversity and Biosecurity Strategies; and
  • the increasing use of regional pest management strategies and the Resource Management Act 1991 coastal policies and plans, resource consents and monitoring to address aspects of marine biosecurity.

Recognising that a range of organisations have marine biosecurity roles and interests, the Department of Conservation (DOC), Ministry of Fisheries, BNZ and 11 regional authorities have entered into a partnership to build a coordinated marine pest management capability over time, including an increased level of protection for high-value marine areas.

The goals of the partnership are:

  • raising awareness about marine pest management and how organisations and individuals can contribute to this
  • building a coordinated marine pest management capability across central and regional government
  • slowing the spread of potential/future marine invasive species.

This will be done through:

Short term:

  • awareness/voluntary compliance
  • surveillance/monitoring
  • coordination of national and regional pest management activity.

Medium to long term:

  • identifying and initiating options for management tools, such as voluntary protocols, government regulations
  • increasing coordination and capability for marine surveillance across agencies
  • incorporating marine biosecurity outcomes in coastal plans
  • developing national guidelines to support marine biosecurity actions
  • reviewing the existing regulatory controls managing the commercial harvest of Undaria.

Regional coastal plans, in particular, are set to play a significant role in marine biosecurity, both at a national and regional level. The inclusion of marine biosecurity and pests within regional coastal plans and regional pest management strategies is likely to complement national activities. For example, inclusion of marine pest species as ‘surveillance species’ within a regional pest management strategy will support and strengthen wider national surveillance efforts, and provision can be made within regional coastal plans to manage risks associated with known vectors that spread marine pests (e.g., structures, vessels, and marine equipment).

Three current partnership initiatives are underway as discussed below.

Marine biosecurity communications programme

A nationally coordinated marine biosecurity communications programme is under development to be delivered, in part, through regional partnerships. This will include a social marketing campaign aimed at changing/promoting the desired behaviour of marine users.

Top of the South Island marine biosecurity plan

An integrated marine biosecurity programme is being developed for the top of the South Island. The overarching goal is to prevent the introduction of new organisms to the region and effectively manage existing invasive marine species. The partnership is in the early stages of development and includes Tasman District Council, Nelson City Council, Marlborough District Council, Ministry of Fisheries, DOC, BNZ and the local aquaculture industry. The partnership will include other regional stakeholders as the process develops. The plan will:

  • coordinate the operational activities of the various partners
  • adopt a generic approach dealing with the full range of biosecurity risks
  • adopt an internal borders approach to biosecurity by viewing the top of the South as a geographic entity with a definable border; and
  • address the range of points of intervention in the biosecurity system, including prevention, readiness, response, and pest management.

Fiordland marine biosecurity plan

This is a partnership between DOC, the Ministry of Fisheries, Environment Southland, the Fiordland Marine Guardians and BNZ. The plan provides a framework for coordinating the biosecurity responsibilities, interests and activities of these agencies, to manage the full suite of biosecurity risks to the Fiordland marine environment. (See also What’s on your boat bottom? Preventing the spread of invasive marine pests into Fiordland on page 4 of this issue of Biosecurity.)

An interim programme is currently being implemented to address immediate biosecurity risks to Fiordland. The interim programme includes:

  • a targeted awareness programme
  • monitoring in Southern ports of vessels that regularly visit Fiordland
  • vessel cleaning and/or compliance; and
  • targeted cleaning of vessel mooring areas to provide clean mooring/berthing facilities at Bluff and Stewart Island for vessels that regularly visit Fiordland.

Future initiatives

There is opportunity for any of the partner agencies to propose new capability-building initiatives at any time. Other initiatives on the horizon include:

  • Chatham Islands marine biosecurity programme to minimise the risk of introducing invasive species from North and South Island ports.
  • Coordinated national and regional surveillance. Pilot programmes are to be run in the Bay of Plenty and Nelson/Marlborough regions. Surveillance protocols are currently being developed between BNZ and its counterparts in Australia.
  • A proposal to develop a marine biosecurity/Resource Management Act guideline for Resource Management Act practitioners, illustrating how the Act can be, or is currently being, applied to address marine biosecurity issues.

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Page last updated: 30 April 2008