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hmm..

 

have been randomly invited / bribed to attend a discussion 

 

"Thank you for offering to participate in a small research group to test some creative concepts around marine biosecurity on behalf of a partnership of upper north island regional councils along with MPI.

 

We’re after honest, unfiltered opinions so please come prepared to contribute.

 

They’re only small groups - a total of 6 people - so every person counts.

 
It will be fun!"
 

so have crew

 

got any fat to chew

 

toss on the fire?

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Yes. I have a good article about this, but it's currently in a format that can't be posted. I'll see what I can do about that when we're back home tonight.

Basically the issue is that fanworm and sea squirt are already prolific in NZ waters. The breeding method of fanworm is such that it's unlikely that a yacht had transported them anywhere, and that in water cleaning is not assisting spreading.

I'll post that report tonight.

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Any idea what it was that landed you the invite?  Does this group have an agenda already in place? Do they really carry any weight?

 

I live in Whangarei and have better than layman knowledge of the issues. I am compiling my NRC submission and have plenty to say.  

 

I am concerned that this appears to be a limited, non-public advice gathering group that purports to be Regional Council / MPI associated.   Is it simply going to reflect/justify what the NRC is already trying to make into regulation?  We need a transparent and open 'best practice', 'scientifically sound' and real world implementable solution seeking process to address these biosecurity issues.  For example the current NRC proposed solution for Fanworm appears to ignore the realities of localised endemic reservoirs, inability of current antifouling to inhibit larval attachment, and the relative contribution of natural mechanisms vs boat hulls in its spread.

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below is the first email that came via "The Landing" at Okahu bay where had previously hauled boat for antifoul

 

Hi there,

 

A group of North Island regional councils is working with the Ministry of Primary Industries to help stop the spread of invasive marine pests around the region – and they’d like your help!

 

They’ve contracted the ad agency The Goat Farm to come up with some ways to get boat owners on board.  Part of that process is meeting with yacht and powerboat owners to test some of the slogans and messages to see how effective they’re likely to be with boat owners.  There is no right or wrong answers, just personal views on whether they resonate and will encourage/remind boat owners to do the right thing.

 

Your boat has been randomly selected, and you’re invited to attend a one-hour discussion session over beer and pizza at their office 

 

but then there were a 2nd set of questions

 

Is your boat a yacht or motor launch?

 
Is it berthed or moored? 
 
When did you last anti-foul your hull?
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It sounds like you have been invited to participate in a Marketing Focus Group to test the messages that the ad agency have already prepared to see if they resonate with you.

 

From Wikipedia

focus group is a small, but demographically diverse group of people whose reactions are studied especially in market research or political analysis in guided or open discussions about a new product or something else to determine the reactions that can be expected from a larger population.[1][2][3] It is a form of qualitative research consisting of interviews in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members. During this process, the researcher either takes notes or records the vital points he or she is getting from the group. Researchers should select members of the focus group carefully for effective and authoritative responses.

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does look like that

 

kind of expecting

 

which of these 3? tv ads resonates with you + why?

 

     "          "       "    poster      "            "               "

 

     "          "       "    bumper stickers    "               "

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Here is the article I mentioned, copied form the Whangarei Cruising Club newsletter. It was in a format that had to be scanned and OCR'd so my appologies if there are any mistakes...

 

Fanworm Control — A Club Member's Perspective

 

The following article has been submitted by club member Uli Felger, who holds a Masters degree in marine botany. His comments are particularly relevant given that the Northland Regional Council is proposing more charges to 'control' the infestation that has appeared in our  waters.'

The meeting about fanworm in the Whangarei Harbour on 7/4/  2016 had a very narrow focus on the spread of the worms through boat movements.

First a bit of history:

Detected in Lyttleton Port in May 2008 2009 detected in Auckland's Viaduct Basin

January 2010 found in large numbers in the upper Waitemata Harbour

June 2010 elimination program abandoned

2012 discovered in Whangarei harbour

In early 2014, further populations of the fan worm were discovered at additional sites. after two years of attempted eradication.

This short history shows that attempts at eradication in the Whangarei Harcour have clearly failed.

Regional Council Chairman, BM Shepherd, indirectly admitted this when he said:

“However, the unfortunate reality is fanworm is predicted to eventually establish in other bays within Whangarei where the habitat is suitable” - In: Advocate. Friday, March 11, 2016, page 6

 

My understanding of what has been said by the Regional Council is that the spread of this pest is almost exclusively attributed to boats transporting worms on their hull. There was also a claim made that fanworm larvae would settle on a suitable surface very quickly and that the observed long time of floating in the water was limited to test aquariums. The reason for this was that there were more surfaces available in the sea than in an aquarium.

To me this looks a bit dubious.

 

From: Global invasive species database:

Reproduction:

Reproduction of the European fan worm (Sebella  spallanzanii) was investigated in a population at Port Phillip Bay (Australia) (Currie. McArthur and Cohen 2000) and is described as follows: The worms are dicecious and attain sexual maturity at 50mm body length. Reproductive periodicity follows a distinct annual cycle. and spawning proceeds through an extended autumn winter period. Spawning is broadly synchronous between sexes. and coincides with falling seawater temperatures and shorter day lengths. The females are highly fecund. and >50 000 eggs are shed from large females (>300mm body length) during the annual spewing period. Breeding cycles of S.spallanzanii in Port Phillip Bay are 6 months out of phase with endemic populations located at similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere.'

 

Lifecycle stages

European fan worm {Sabena spallanzanii) larvae began to settle after about 2 weeks: metamorphosis occurs 10n days after settlement, when mucus is secreted abundantly and an external tube is formed (for details and diagrams please see Giangrande et al.2000) http://www.issg.org/database/species/acology.asp?si=1046&fr=18sts=sssandlang=EN

 

 This cdear and easily available information shows that spreading with currents is the normal but slow way for this marine pest to expand its territory. Starting from Auckland harbour. every year millions of larvae spread into suitable bays and harbours. Even without any further help from boats, it can spread to close bays like Kawau Island. There are enough bays available as stepping stones for this pest to invade a big part of our coast within the next decade.

It is spreading through the suitable parts of Whangarei Harbour. As the attempted eradication has clearly failed, this spread can unfortunately not be reversed without extremely high costs.

The reaction of the Regional council is to blame it exclusively on yachts which have got the worms attached to their hulls. Considering the information from the Global Invasive species database. this Is definitely not correct.

Demanding that yachts which have got some Sabena worms on their hulls be hauled out and cleaned withthin a short time frame will not make any difference to the overall infestation of the Whangarei harbour.

Before the Regional Council demands that hulls be cleaned Independent of movement to a new area, would they not have to have proof that this will eradicate the fan worm from the Whangarei Harbour?

Another problem with the approach of antifouling as protection against fanworm is the decreasing potency of the antifouling we can buy now, combined with the prohibition of cleaning a yacht in the water.

A further problem with the antifouling approach is that some animals like barnacles secrete substances which insulate them from the poisonous effect of the antifouling paint. The fanworm secretes a soft tube. How does it get affected by antifouling paint? This question should have been researched and answered already. Where are the results? Or does the Regional Council demand antifouling paint to prevent fanworm without evidence to its effectiveness?

I doubt that anybody can explain how. when cleaning boat hulls while in the water, dropping fanworms onto an already infested area can make a problem worse. considering the opinion of the Regional Council that fanworms deposit their 50,000 larvae close to the parent.

 

Summary: Fanworm Is established In Whangarei Harbour and eradication Is now Impossible.

 

It is still desirable to prevent fanworm and other pests to be moved to areas outside of the Whangarei Harbour. To achieve this. a new approach to the problem would be helpful:

1) As proposed in the new pathway plan, boat hulls should be checked and/or cleaned before sailing to a new area. Different methods of 'disinfecting' hulls should be investigated.

a)         How effective are the different types and brands of anti-fouling? Tests would be helpful!

B)         How effective is wrapping hulls in a tarpaulin and killing any fouling plants and animals inside of the tarpaulin barrier? Fouling could be killed by pumping out the water, killing any aerobic (oxygen dependent) plants and animals. Leaving the tarpaulin for a bit longer. the decomposing organic matter would further add to the anaerobic environment

Filling the tarpaulin with fresh water would also kill most marine organisms.

Adding table salt. bleach or hydrogen peroxide is another possibility worthy of investigation.

 

I have trialed this system and found that every organism on the hull of my boat have died within days. This was without the use of chemicals and with incomplete water removal.

 

2) As the copper based antifouling paints are less effective as the now illegal older TBT containing paints. Storing some yachts on dry land might be an option to be considered. This would require adequate capacity for storage and for multiple in/out movements per year and an acceptable price (perhaps the price of a pile mooring at Kissing Point plus the price of one haul out, clean and antifouling paint) I have heard that this system is used in some parts of Italy.

 

3) In a FAQ page of the pathway plan it is said frequently It is still an offence to transport marine pests (even within the same harbour). What purpose does this serve?? (apart from antagonizing boat users and bullying boat owners)

 

4) What is the scientific reasoning behind the demand to clean fanworm off a hull even when there is no intent to move the boat to a different harbour? How can a pest be spread to a different harbour if the boat concerned does not move? (FAO page 5/6) Is there any sense in this rule??? As the Regional Council wants effective solutions. we should help them to develop effective and evidence based solutions to the fanworm and fouling problem.

 

If we would have a best code of practice containing hard antifouling, wrapping of hull and underwater cleaning of dead fouling. the council would not have to worry about dirty hulls.

 

One last question to the Regional Council:

1)       When a boat has been antifouled less than 6 months ago, is it allowed into a marina or new region without further check. Where is the scientific evidence that this guarantees that the hull Is free of fanworm?

2)       When a boat has been hauled out within the last month. is it allowed into a marina or new region without further check. Where is the scientific evidence that this guarantees that the hull is free of fanworm??? Why should fanworm larvae respect this timeframe and not settle on a hull within one month of inspection??

3)      

Both points look like triple wishful thinking:

1)       The Regional Council wishes it to be so.

2)       I hope that the Regional Council is right.

3)       The Regional Council wishes that nobody notices this selling of wishful thinking as reality.

4)      

This wishful thinking almost guarantees the movement of fanworm from Auckland or Whangarei harbours to the Bay of Islands:

 

A boat gets checked two weeks before departure. Then some fanworm larvae settle on the hull. She is sailed to the Bay of Islands and into the marina. There she stays, the fanworms celebrating their in the lottery of life, and their descendants settle in all the quiet bays.

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That article sums it up.

As for this meeting. I first thought someone was going to listen. But no it is the council wasting a bunch more ratepayers money on some spin doctors who are hoping to convince us a bucket of sh*t smells like roses using a cute jingle.

Here's a message for them. If you get the opportunity please read it to them slowly. It comes in two versions. The short one is "f*ck off and leave us alone".

The longer version is"I will start paying attention when you produce a scientific study (peer reviewed) that gives your plan at least a 10% chance of success. At the moment it looks like you are pissing on a bushfire and praying for a miracle. Until then f*ck off and leave us alone.

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i presume the pacific oyster spread via larva in currents 

 

rather than boat hulls too

 

In New Zealand, the Pacific oyster was unintentionally introduced in 1950s, most likely through ballast water and from the hulls of ships

 

The larvae of the Pacific oyster are planktotrophic, and are about 70 µm at the prodissoconch 1 stage.[4] The larvae move through the water column via the use of a larval foot to find suitable settlement locations.[4] They can spend several weeks at this phase, which is dependent on water temperature, salinity and food supply.[4] Over these weeks, larvae can disperse great distances by water currents before they metamorphose and settle as small spat.

 

.............

 

The European fan worm is a rather successful organism whose larvae can easily disperse to new locations.

 

looks like it will make things harder for marine aquaculture by competing for food

 

but on the flipside

 

it will help clean up nz's and esp, ak's bacteria rich waters

 

The European fan worm is able to bioaccumulate bacteria and has a profound effect on the marine bacterial environment. Microbes build up in the worm and are present at much higher concentrations in its tissues than in the surrounding water and this means the worm can be used as a bioindicator. It is efficient at filtering out Vibrio spp. bacteria that are pathogenic to fish and shellfish and can cause foodborne illness in man. It can also potentially be used for remediation of polluted water near sewage outlets.[6]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabella_spallanzanii

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Fear=$. These dicks are just job creating with rate payers $ and will achieve absolutely nothing.

 

 

 

 

No not rate payers aren't paying.  The full $480k annual cost is being levied on owners of moorings and slips/berths.

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