Ex Machina

Why is the prop up the front of the boat

Well heck . The buggers are an aquarium item and the young start life as larvae , those would be hard to detect in a fish shipment . https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/3554/?pcatid=3554#:~:text=The Freshwater Asian Gold Clam is a filter feeder that,quality and lower nitrate levels.

I have a hunch it maybe to linked to global immigration and someone in Hamilton or Cambridge hankering for some downhome fried clams

Yeah sorry guys I may have brought it back from the Yangtze River when I did the Asia trailer yacht champs

We are under assault . Looks like the horse has truly bolted on this one . https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/waikato/300888463/invasive-clam-found-in-waikato-river-could-decimate-native-species-infest-lake-taup-and-clog-hydro-dams

Anywhere could’ve been the vector not just Auckland . If for example if it was off an anchor the boat could’ve have been heading north , stopped at mercs first then Barrier . That puts every harbour and domesticated inlet south and inshore of the mercs in the realm of possibility

It could probably survive a trip down the drain from east coast road to the nearest beach ? How would you empty 100+ litre saltwater aquarium ? it could be well established in a corner of some murky harbour were no one dives and it doesn’t get enough wave movement to get washed up

Can I just point out this is the best debate on crew org in quite some time .

Love the stuff ! I’ve saved a bit of coin on silicone since I got a roll .

Yeah well I’ve been stockpiling cyclone ruined pvc wedding marquees and I’m on the hunt for some cheap chlorine , just need some dive gear and I’m in business

$20 AUD https://www.z-aquatics.com.au/caulerpa-brachypus-macroalgae/

Stranger sh*t has happened . Did you hear about the bloke that traveled nz releasing coarse fish for a lark ? Started out wanting a coarse fishery but it got a bit sinister towards the end it seems .

Having a punt at how it may have got there . looking at how much got displaced at barrier during cyclone Gabrielle and seeing the drift path of 888 from Fitzroy it may have just got there on the wind and currents . Going back to the 888 drift path , if some of the stuff did get displaced out of Fitzroy it could be all up the coast already .

I fear that most people’s first knowledge of it will be on 27th of December at red head or Albert passage . Good chance you will get turned away from entering the inner bay . Hell , even whangamumu and whangaruru could be affected by then .

If a spotted bohemian gadfly ever turns up in Whangarei town basin there will be MPI folks there within hours installing pheromone traps all around the nearby suburbs . 1 year later with caulerpa ?

But seriously . Someone needs to talk to the Americans yesterday about their eradication techniques . Rather than piss around with think tanks with boaties . The horse may have bolted for barrier and the mercs but it could possibly be kept under control if action is taken very soon . I imagine it would be a game of whack-a-mole but the alternative is rampant spread whilst hang wringing think tanks are taking place .

What’s the chance of finding some 888 wreckage nearby ?

Maybe it’s now the epitome of cool to sail straight back into the slower boats ?

Doesn’t seem like you will need a fancy phone to use the voLTE network ? iPhone 6 onwards are compatible as long as it has the latest OS . it’s a long way off though , SMS only by the end of 2024 and data not available until sometime in 2025 . It will simplify things on board I guess if you want internet . No need for gadgets and gizmos with antennas .

Nice setup , sponsor rings a few bells …https://akarana.co.nz/akarana-eatery/

Quite true . You are probably the most qualified person on the forum regarding aquatic flora and fauna , do you think Caulerpa is or could be a problem ?

Sounds straightforward ….PVC tarps , chlorine , some good underwater operators and approval from wherever it needs to come from and soon not next year when it will cost 100s instead of 10s of milliwongas https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250218150_Eradication_of_the_invasive_seaweed_Caulerpa_taxifolia_by_chlorine_bleach#:~:text=Based on these results%2C chlorine,to reach stolons and rhizoids.

You could get a Velocitek prostart or novasail . Not sure if wait times are still an issue for the Vakaros ?

Not Delaware but relevant . Eradication techniques are further down the page . https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/habitat-conservation/caulerpa-species-west-coast Seems quite involved but surely no more expensive than holding meetings , hiring consultants or underwater companies to check boats . 100% they know the information above that took me 2 minutes to find and any other methods of eradication , so why feck around and find out ?

Hi Zoe thanks for letting us know you are the newsletter editor . The number one tool for boat owners to combat marine pests is effective antifoul . There has been mention on clean below good to go about Selektope . Hempel paints have a Selektope containing antifoul available offshore . I have emailed the Hempel distributor but they don’t reply . We need to get proven effective antifouls here pronto , the soft coprous oxide paints just don’t cut the mustard and aren’t great for the seafloor either . Pressure needs to be applied to whichever Govt department approves antifouls to get