National System for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pest Incursions

Australia’s marine environment, coastal lifestyle and marine industries are under threat from invasive marine pests introduced from other regions of the world.

In response, the Australian and State/Territory governments, along with the marine industry and scientists, are working together to implement the National System for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pest Incursions.

What is the National System?

The National System (see diagram below) is a comprehensive set of measures aimed at:

• preventing marine pests from arriving in Australian waters and spreading around the coastline
• providing a coordinated emergency response should a new pest arrive in Australian waters
• controlling and managing marine pests already in Australia, where eradication is not feasible.

Preventative measures

The preventative measures implemented under the National System focus on reducing the risk of invasive species being unintentionally carried into Australian waters on international seafaring vessels. Transportation of invasive species can occur either in ballast water carried by some vessels to provide stability, or as biofouling growing on vessel surfaces.

Ballast water

Australia has mandatory ballast water regulations requiring all vessels to exchange ballast water at sea before entering Australian waters. In addition, Australia is working towards complementary arrangements for vessels travelling between domestic ports.

Biofouling

Under the National System, voluntary national biofouling management guidelines have been developed for vessels operating in Australian waters. These guidelines provide practical maintenance recommendations to help vessel operators manage the level of biofouling on their vessels.

Five guidelines have been published, covering the following vessel sectors:

• recreational vessels
• commercial fishing vessels
• commercial vessels
• non-trading vessels
• petroleum production and exploration vessels.

With recent research demonstrating that up to 75 per cent of new introductions arrive as biofouling on vessels, the Australian Government is moving to introduce mandatory regulations requiring vessel operators to manage for biofouling prior to arrival in Australian waters. The states and territories are responsible for domestic biofouling management arrangements.

Aquarium trade

Although ballast water and biofouling provide the major biosecurity risks, the aquarium trade also poses a risk. There are restrictions on the importation of live marine species into Australia. Species included on the Live Import List may be imported subject to permit conditions issued by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. Species not on the list are prohibited. In addition, all states and territories have regulations relating to keeping, breeding and selling aquarium species.

Emergency response

Australia has procedures in place to respond to the detection of known or potential new pests and to control or eradicate any new pests before they establish large populations. These procedures are set out in the Australian Emergency Marine Pest Plan and are consistent with the emergency response model in place for animal and plant health emergencies in Australia.

A marine emergency response is coordinated at a national level by the Consultative Committee on Introduced Marine Pest Emergencies (CCIMPE), whilst the affected state or territory does the on-ground work.

A list of trigger species likely to have a significant impact if introduced into Australia has been compiled and is regularly reviewed to ensure the CCIMPE can respond quickly in the event that a new or known pest species is detected.

Ongoing management and control

The ongoing management and control element of the National System aims to contain and manage introduced marine pests that have the ability to establish populations within Australian waters.

National Control Plans have been developed for the following six pests that are currently having the most significant impacts on the marine environment or marine industries in Australia:

1. Northern Pacific seastar (Asterias amurensis)
2. European green shore crab (Carcinus maenas)
3. Asian bag or date mussel (Musculista senhousia)
4. European fan worm (Sabella spallanzanii)
5. Japanese seaweed or wakame (Undaria pinnatifida)
6. European or basket shell clam (Varicorbula gibba)

The plans include practical management actions and cost effective approaches to control or reduce the impact of each pest.

Image courtesy of Aquenal Pty Ltd

Supporting arrangements

The prevention and management measures are supported by additional arrangements, including monitoring, communications, research and development, and evaluation and review.

The monitoring strategy includes a national network of 18 ports designated for regular monitoring following a nationally agreed set of procedures which are outlined in the Australian marine pest monitoring manual.

A national communication and awareness strategy is being implemented to encourage the uptake of the measures being developed under the National System. It outlines plans, activities and tools applicable to each of the marine sectors impacted by the National System.

In line with the strategy, a national marine pest website has been established with a focus on each marine sector to help operators comply with any measures that apply to their vessel. It has been designed to reinforce the message that all vessel operators and those involved in the marine aquarium trade have an important role to play in stopping the spread of unwanted pests.

The research and development plan supporting the National System is based on a risk management approach and is designed to ensure that prevention and management measures are economically justified, socially acceptable, safe, practical, technically achievable and environmentally sound. As measures are implemented, they will be progressively evaluated and reviewed using these same principles.

For more information visit the marine pests website.