BioSIRT Log - April 2010

Collaboration

Australian Biosecurity Information Network (ABIN) held a workshop on Tools for Targeted Surveillance in Brisbane early March. ABIN is in the process of creating a Virtual Centre for Remote Connectivity and Surveillance across northern Australia and into South East Asia. “Tools for Targeted Surveillance” will be developed to enable services and access to geospatial mapping systems for predicting the entry, spread and distribution of pests and exotic diseases across the northern part of Australia, and risk analysis capabilities.

The BioSIRT National Program Manager, Debra Riddell attended a Sub-Committee on Emergency Animal Disease (SCEAD) meeting in Melbourne on 18 March. She presented an update on the BioSIRT application and it’s current activities including the ABIN project and integration with the STARS project.

Marg Coonan-Jones of the National Coordination Team (NCT) recently attended the Emergency Management Spatial Information Network Australia (EMSINA) meeting in Hobart on 22-23 March.

At this meeting the All-Hazards Symbology was progressed. A set of Generic mapping symbols and sector-specific symbols was proposed. The generic set would apply across multiple sectors i.e. Fire, SES, biosecurity etc. Each sector can then have sector-specific mapping symbols that are endorsed by their sector-specific peak body. Following on from this recommendation by EMSINA the Generic mapping symbology and the Biosecurity mapping symbology (which the BioSIRT mapping symbols are part of) will be presented to the Biosecurity Emergency Preparedness Working Group (BEPWG) in April for out-of-session endorsement.

Consistency

A template for the aquatic pest, Asian Green Mussel (AMG) was recently presented at the face to face meeting of the National BioSIRT Standards Committee (NBSC) for review in Melbourne. The AMG template was recently modified for use in the New South Wales response to the suspected invasive pest, Sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum). More on the NBSC will feature in the next edition of the BLog.

D. vexillum is a spongy textured sea squirt and is a distinctive orange/yellow colour. The species has a spongy texture, can feel leathery but is not slimy. It has been reported in New Zealand, Northern Europe, Canada, Japan and the USA. It typically grows on hard surfaces such as piers, wharfs, pilings, buoys, channel markers and boat hulls but may also be found on breakwalls and natural reefs. It has a tolerance for a wide range of temperatures (as low as -2°C and greater than 24°C).

D. vexillum is a hermaphrodite, which means it is capable of self-fertilisation. Internally fertilised eggs are brooded and developed into larvae (called tadpoles) before they are released. It is also capable of asexual reproduction, whereby small pieces can break off and re-attach forming new colonies.

A marine pest of concern because it is known to overgrow on and smother other marine animals such as mussel and oyster populations and can quickly foul boat hulls and artificial structures.

Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW) is currently investigating a suspected outbreak of D. vexillum, on the far south coast of NSW in Twofold Bay. See feature article below.

The Application

The BioSIRT application is always evolving and improving. Special install discs are available for major releases. These “whole-number” versions can be installed as standalone packages however the minor releases eg. n.1 upgrades must each be installed on top of the previous version i.e. v2.0 can only be upgraded to v2.1 then to v2.2. The NCT also releases patches e.g. ‘PatchMar2010’ as discrete packages also posted on Govdex. It is important that all updates are installed sequentially.

There are currently 20 discrete instances of BioSIRT and it is becoming increasingly important to keep a record of upgrades. The Register of Upgrades, on the Govdex national reference library, provides a central location for these recording this information. The new Register of Upgrades now includes a Register of Instances that lists the administrators and unique Instance IDs of each BioSIR installation. Please take the time to document upgrades to your instances. This also helps the NCT diagnose problems should they occur.

Training

All national training material has now been updated to BioSIRT version 2.0. Call Kymme on (02) 6272 5837.

Australian Biosecurity Information Network (ABIN) Launch

ABIN had their official “launch” in Canberra on March 16. Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry, Richard Marles launched the initiative at Parliament House.

The keynote speaker was the Chair of the Quarantine and Biosecurity Review and co-author of “One Biosecurity: A Working Partnership” Mr. Roger Beale AO. Mr. Beale stated, "Biosecurity is critical to our national security. ABIN will help officials and researchers share information and apply sophisticated analysis in real time. This will make us all more secure".

The network’s Chair, Professor Helen Garnett said. “The ABIN infrastructure will help us generate and share existing and new biosecurity intelligence. As well as assisting decision making and policy development, it will help identify some of the knowledge gaps where we need to target research and provide a collegiate opportunity to close these gaps.” Source: www.abin.org.au

...New Faces…

Rochelle Christian

I have joined the National Coordination Team (NCT) to manage BioSIRT’s technical capability and ABIN project on Fruit Fly Surveillance and Predictive Modeling Using BioSIRT.

I first came to Canberra in 1993 and completed a PhD at the Australian National University in plant physiological ecology. Since joining the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in 2005 I’ve applied expertise in risk analysis and decision theory to the development and implementation of policy for natural resource management and biosecurity. Until recently I worked in the Bureau of Rural Sciences where my work included managing a Community of Practice for Structured Decision-Making - a project on evaluating the equivalence of a systems approach to certification of pest-free status for fresh fruit and vegetables that may host fruit flies. I was also involved in the redevelopment of the National Introduced Marine Pest Information System (NIMPIS).

I’m looking forward to working with the NCT and our stakeholders to enhance the capacity of BioSIRT to manage information and resources related to routine surveillance and emergency response for diseases and pests.

Sea Squirt Response in Twofold Bay, NSW

An annual inspection of Twofold Bay near Eden by underwater divers in March revealed a suspected Sea Squirt (Didemnum vexillum) infestation on the main wharf of the bay. This sea squirt has not been known to occur in NSW before. The origin of this species in Twofold Bay is unknown.

Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW) has modified the BioSIRT template for Asian Green Mussel (AMG) to manage the response. I&I NSW in collaboration with Dept of Defence and the national Consultative Committee on Introduced Marine Pest Emergencies (CCIMPE), as well as NSW Maritime and local stakeholders, has undertaken extensive surveys of Twofold Bay to assess the distribution of this suspected infestation. Surveys have also been undertaken in other at risk estuaries/ports on the south coast with no suspect sea squirts observed outside Twofold Bay.

A Quarantine Order including movement controls was implemented on 10 April 2010 to minimise the risk of spreading the suspected invasive colonial sea squirt to other ports in Australia.

Sea squirts are notoriously difficult to identify. Further confirmation required specimens to be collected and sent to New Zealand and the USA for both taxonomic and genetic identification. Steps are being taken to establish a diagnostic capability in NSW, based on genetic analysis.

I&I NSW are currently developing management and eradication plans for this species, including potential control and eradication options. Assuming there is national agreement, this program will be implemented with a view to completing control work well before the expected spawning season in spring followed by a period of surveillance to monitor the success of the program.

For further information on D. vexillum and the NSW response go to www.industry.nsw.gov.au/info/seasquirt