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ENVIRONMENT WATCH SURVEY TESTS FERRY PASSENGERS' BIOSECURITY KNOWLEDGE BY JEFF COOK T Treasure islands awareness campaign has been running in the Hauraki Gulf since 2008, reminding boaties, ferry passengers, commercial operators and island residents, about our precious pest free islands and how they can help protect them. he Each year since then, summer surveys have been done to gauge the success of the Auckland Council-Department of Conservation joint campaign, and this year was no different with Unitec student Lydia Tyrrell collecting nearly 600 questionnaires from ferry passengers in the Hauraki Gulf in a six week project. vessel for stowaways and nearly five percent had found something they considered a pest. However, fewer than 30 percent of those surveyed had heard of the Treasure islands campaign. Lydia Tyrrell (right) interviews ferry passengers The survey aimed to assess the knowledge ferry passengers had about biosecurity issues for the Hauraki Gulf islands, their awareness of the current 'Treasure Islands' biosecurity campaign, to assess how many ferry passengers travelling to pest free islands are checking for stowaways and their knowledge of what else they can do to help protect these islands. The survey also aimed to identify risk pathways and vectors to aid the improvement of efficacy of future awareness campaigns. Lydia was part of Auckland Council's Biosecurity summer student programme and was assisted by contractor Aran Naismith, who did surveys at wharves and airports on Great Barrier Island. "I loved meeting people and being outdoors for the summer, and feeling as though I'd helped in raising awareness of biosecurity issues. As well as doing the surveys we also spoke to people about some of the pests they might not have heard of, like Argentine ants and rainbow skinks, to raise awareness of these and how they can stowaway easily on boats and in gear." Lydia collected questionnaires from people on passenger ferries to Great Barrier, Rangitoto and Motutapu, Tiritiri Matangi and Motuihe islands and two freight runs to Great Barrier and Rakino Islands. Nearly half of these were travelling to their destination for the first time, most for day trips, and more than 70 percent were Aucklanders. Those travelling for work topped the results for those who checked their gear for stowaways, with around 97 percent. Overall, 91 percent were aware that some islands are pest free while 70 percent said that they had checked their gear, vehicle or Treasure islands PLEASE Check for stowaways CHECK YOUR BOAT AND GEAR FOR RATS, MICE, ARGENTINE ANTS, RAINBOW SKINKS, SOIL AND SEEDS SET BAIT OR TRAPS FOR ANIMAL PESTS REPORT ANY SIGHTINGS TO 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) November/December 2012 Professional Skipper 57 "Although the awareness of the 'Treasure islands' campaign is not as high yet as we would like, it is a big improvement on previous surveys and it just highlights what we need to work on to improve awareness and actions," says Jack Craw, Auckland Council Biosecurity Manager. "There are also some really positive results, with nearly everyone surveyed aware that some islands are pest-free and a lot of people checking their gear, which is also a big improvement from the last survey." "Lydia was a fantastic biosecurity ambassador wearing a Treasure islands shirt, and talking to people face to face, which raises awareness in itself," says Jack Craw. "We hope to keep doing this survey each year to gauge improvements and help us tailor our campaigns." There is lots of other work going on to improve awareness and compliance among industry, such as wharf surveillance, biosecurity checks on boats and islands with predator dogs and checking items like houses that are being taken out to islands. One of the major initiatives is the Pest-Free Warrant, a joint Auckland Council – DOC biosecurity accreditation for vessels and premises. This is not only an accreditation process, but also a great education tool for companies and operators who go through the certification, who Auckland Council and DOC hope will then become eyes and ears and help reduce the risks in the gulf by being informed. The team recently did an inspection of the company doing work on the Great Barrier reclamation and found them clean and pest-free, and very supportive of the work we are doing – a great example of industry taking the pest-free message on board. Remember to always check your gear for stowaway pests like rats, mice, Argentine ants, Rainbow skinks and eggs, soil and seeds. Any pest sightings should be reported to 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). Visit www.treasureislands.co.nz for more information. www.projectislandsong.co.nz www.treasureislands.co.nz