FREE PEST WORKSHOP FOR BOATIES

As boats stream onto Tauranga Harbour this Labour Weekend, marine pest specialists will be on hand to help keep unwanted stowaways at bay.

The Saturday morning workshop will teach boat owners how to identify and avoid the kinds of pest that like to hitch a ride on hulls or infest ballast water.

“We’ll provide a ton of information and lots of photos to raise awareness, but this is also a pretty hands-on, practical session,” say Bay of Plenty Regional Council biosecurity manager Greg Corbett. “We’ll be removing a vessel from the water with the travel lift and doing a complete hull check, clean and water blast. Then we’ll explain the species we’re looking at and examine areas that can get missed in the cleaning process.”

The one-hour workshop, run by the regional council’s marine biosecurity team, is part of a week-long series of biosecurity-focussed events. The regional council has been working with the University of Waikato on marine pest surveillance and control since 2013, following the discovery of invasive Mediterranean fanworm in the Bay of Plenty.

Other major targets include two species of sea squirt and the Asian paddle crab. WHAT: Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital marine workshop WHERE: Tauranga Bridge Marina WHEN: 10-11am, Saturday 20 October For more information, visit www.marinepests.nz