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EDITORIAL AQUACULTURE biosecurity risks J BY KEITH INGRAM ust how safe are our borders? It would be fair to say that as an island nation surrounded by clear pristine waters, devoid of any of the pollution and marine nasties found in the northern hemisphere, our border security has always been taken for granted. Sadly, that is now changing. As a nation, we rely on shipping to carry 99 percent of the imports and exported goods that drive our economy. Likewise, air travel shifts 99 percent of people-cargo, Kiwis and tourists, in and out of the country. So in essence, to protect our nation from all the greeblies of the northern hemisphere we must rely on our biosecurity border controls. Sea lettuce, undaria, the Japanese nesting mussel, Styela clava, and another squirt in Marlborough, along with the Rangitoto paddle crab… these are all suspected imports from the discharge of ballast waters from bulk ships arriving in ballast when loading. It is interesting to note that most new arrivals have been associated in our ports where log farms and bulk log exports occur. To try and close the doors, Biosecurity New Zealand have regulated that NO ballast water from another country's waters is to be emptied into New Zealand waters without the permission of an inspector. 'Inspector' we say. Now, this is a bit rough on anyone inspecting ballast water. What are they looking for? And/or, how can they be sure that nothing harmful is being discharged? A tough call. Surely it would be much easier to just ban all ships that cannot exchange ballast water en-route to New Zealand. Then we have the introduction of giardia, rock snot and other nasties into our fresh waters, and I wont start on the birds and the bees. Unfortunately we can no longer assume we are protected by our isolation. So what has all this got to do with aquaculture you might ask? Heaps! Ask any marine farmer who now has to manage their farm in competition with sea squirts, weed and other foulings, all competing for space, phytoplankton and nutrients in the water, and they will advise that costs are climbing while returns remain static. Clearly our farmers have to adjust, but what is not known, is the true cost to the industry and nation that these new arrivals create. Biosecurity New Zealand all too often advise they have lost the battle: the bug has bolted and we have no option but to learn to live with it. Is this acceptable? No. So when I read in the news about a lass who was importing marimo moss balls, an aggressive algae used in the northern hemisphere to clean fi sh tanks, that would have caused a disaster on the scale of didymo if they had got into New Zealand's waterways, my blood pressure starts to rise. The moss balls are an absolutely prohibited import. Had the moss balls been released into our drains and waterways the result could have been utterly catastrophic, and they could still be catastrophic. Biosecurity offi cials cannot tell if any of the moss balls she imported have got into the Avon River. If only one fi lament has reached the river or the Avon-Heathcote Estuary it could cause an outbreak that would be diffi cult to control. Now the offender, Jasmine Louise Maxwell of Christchurch, holds a university qualifi cation that includes biosecurity, which begs the question: just what do they teach at university these days? One can only assume that she has rocks in her head. But the facts remain, if an educated person can be so stupid, how do we stop the uneducated? This is where our border controls must be our fi rst line of defence and any trimming of costs, reducing of staff on our borders must stop. As an industry that has the potential to be a billion dollar industry within a decade, the Government must protect our borders and waters. If we are going to increase our sustainable harvest and exports of all seafood for the benefi t of all New Zealanders, then the way forward is aquaculture. Our wild marine fi sh stocks are mostly fi shed at their maximum sustainable yield with some exceeding the catch limits, which only confi rms that future growth must be from aquaculture. To achieve this we need sound Governmental policies that will encourage investment and growth. The Government needs to take a page out of Australia's book where most States now have appointed their own aquaculture senator (minister). This senator is able to fully focus on aquaculture development, and assist the industry through the quagmire of NIMBY detractors who get so precious about marine farms being polluters of the marine environment. What the detractors fail to recognise is, that if you have a marine farm in your area, not only do you have local job opportunities, but you also get the best scientifi c monitoring of the marine environment for warnings of faecal coliforms, bio-toxins etc, to ensure that our marine waters really do remain in the pristine condition we expect. 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