Marine Biosecurity

Our boating community in Marlborough is well aware of the ongoing efforts by both the community and our marinas team to protect the Marlborough Sounds from marine pests that affect other regions in our country. We sincerely thank our marina customers for their diligence in checking their gear, scheduling regular haul-outs, and applying antifouling to their vessels. These actions are crucial as we work together to safeguard our special Sounds marine environment against these incursions.

You may already know the “Check, Clean, Dry” guidelines or the “6 in 1” rule, which involves our marinas team screening incoming vessels for biosecurity risks. Spreading these messages and performing this work is essential in our mission to protect the unique marine environment of Marlborough Sounds from invasive species that could threaten our native biodiversity by competing for space and resources.

Recently, our marinas team has also partnered with the Marlborough District Council’s biosecurity team to increase the frequency of surveillance dives around our marina infrastructure, checking for any signs of marine pest incursions.

Protect our Paradise – Biosecurity New Zealand

The new boating season for 2024 is just on the horizon, and this year we will also be partnering with the team at Biosecurity New Zealand, and putting our efforts behind their campaign “Protect our Paradise” a nationwide effort to bring educational information to boaties across New Zealand to prevent the spread of marine pests.

The campaign will pop up everywhere you go boating this season, to remind you of the importance of looking after what’s important to protect our marine biosecurity. The three main types of marine biosecurity cleaning for boaties are:

• for all boats – check and clean off the gear and anchor before you move to a new spot
• for a trailer boat – clean when you get home
• for a moored boat – clean off slime and maintain antifouling.

The messages are clear for boaties across the country – and provide helpful information to remind you on what you can do to protect our paradise!

Keep an eye and an ear out for more messaging about this important campaign over summer, and for more information, you can read the dedicated resources on the Biosecurity NZ website here.