ASFB Home > 2003 > Biological Invasions: Consequences for Parasites, Pathogens, Emerging Diseases, and Fisheries in the Marine Environment.

New Zealand Marine Biosecurity: Policies and strategies in a changing environment

Chad L. Hewitt, Jane Willing, Maria Cassidy, Camilla Cox, Liz Jones, Debra Wotton

Ministry of Fisheries, PO Box 1020, Wellington, New Zealand
Email: Chad.Hewitt@fish.govt.nz

Protecting the marine environment from biological invasions of non-indigenous species, marine biosecurity, has a high profile in both Australia and New Zealand. Both countries are keenly dependent on shipping as the primary mode of trade. Simultaneously, both countries have a strong conservation ethos for their oceans. As a direct result, marine biosecurity has been given a high profile in the development of policy and legislation.

The Ministry of Fisheries is the lead agency for marine biosecurity in New Zealand. The Ministry is tasked with managing the risks to the marine environment posed by exotic marine species. Much like the terrestrial environment, multiple vectors and pathways provide ample opportunities for new species to arrive. However, the disparities in baseline knowledge, upstream information, detection ability and fundamental lack of public and sector awareness of impacts and risks require a rigorous strategy of policy and operational development. Consequently, a Risk Management Framework has been developed in house to aid in the decision making process and for operational planning. The Biodiversity package delivered by government provided the opportunity to begin reducing the knowledge gap through baseline surveys and surveillance activities, increasing our risk profiling capacities, and developing public awareness documents about specific target species and risk pathways (e.g., ballast water and hull fouling). The Risk Management Framework simultaneously feeds into developing a tactical framework for incursion response, the aim of which is to provide a clear and transparent process for decision making.

Room 1 Monday 10.40 am