Shaggy-bottomed boat sparks marine pest fears in Picton

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

The 17-metre Sea Hunter II, berthed at Picton Marina, has come down from Tauranga.

A weed-encrusted boat brought into Picton has a local fisherman calling for greater urgency from the region's biosecurity team to check new boats for marine pests.

Picton fisherman Gary Wills spotted the 17-metre fishing boat Sea Hunter II at the main wharf last week, with its hull covered in thick weed.

The boat had come from Tauranga, and Wills was worried it could be carrying organisms that could put Marlborough's marine environment at risk.

Sea Hunter is booked to be hauled out at Tory Channel Contracting next Monday.

**READ MORE:

Divers may be used to check if the Sea Hunter II poses a biosecurity risk.

* Discovery of fan worm prompts warning

* Mediterranean fan worm spreads its unwelcome reach to Golden Bay

Biosecurity officers rely on people reporting potential marine pests on shaggy-bottomed boats visiting the Sounds.

* Southlanders want tougher biosecurity standards**

'I thought it had come as scrap, but it's been bought as a fishing boat,' Wills said of Sea Hunter II.

The rusty hull of Sea Hunter II will be checked for marine pests.

'It should have been cleaned at Tauranga before it came here,' he said.

'It could have some sort of sea squirt that reacts to the colder water here and spawns. It may be cheaper to take out here. That could be why.'

Haul-out fees at Tauranga and Picton were about the same for a 17m boat, about $900.

Boat owners were free to move around New Zealand coastal waters, but marine pests in some ports posed a risk to Marlborough's marine environment.

Wills said he reported the boat to the harbour masters' office, and after several days wondered why nothing had been done.

Harbour master marine officers dealt with navigation safety and oil slicks. Biosecurity was dealt with by Marlborough District Council's biosecurity team, who had the alert passed to them.

Maritime pest control depended on shaggy-bottomed boats being reported, according to biosecurity officer Jono Underwood.

'The quicker people pick these risks, the better,' Underwood said.

A council survey of residents this year showed biosecurity had the lowest awareness in the community of all council activities. Residents were unaware of the council's role in delivering biosecurity services.

Underwood said the Sea Hunter had not been inspected immediately, despite divers being available. He said Tauranga was less of a risk than Auckland which harboured Mediterranean fanworm, a significant threat to Marlborough's mussel farms.

'It's obviously got some visible fouling on it. We'll be following up with the owner and the skipper, and also inspecting the hull to see if there is any risk,' Underwood said.

'We're very concerned about anything that may be carrying fan worm which is very invasive in other parts of New Zealand but isn't established here. It poses a risk to our mussel farming.'

Underwood would not release the owner's name. He said they preferred boats were cleaned before they came here, but this could not be enforced.

The cost of sending divers to check a boat was 'anywhere between $200 to $500' and was at ratepayers' expense initially, he said. If marine pests were found the cost of cleaning would be with the owners.

'We would ask in the first instance and if need be direct them to remedy that, which could mean lifting the vessel out.'

He said the risk with Sea Hunter was low, but it would be specifically targeted for fan worm. Biosecurity officers would decide whether to wait until the boat was hauled out to do an inspection or send divers down, Underwood said.

Divers also worked in the outer areas of the Sounds checking boats that did not come the whole way into Picton, he said.