Like all marine pests, caulerpa is difficult to remove because of the environment it is in and its ability to easily spread. Nowhere in the world has managed to eradicate it, but we continue to work with our iwi partners, local councils and others to identify methods to do so.
Other marine pests, including bonamia ostreae, Mediterranean fanworm, and undaria (found in the iconic Milford Sound) have cost the seafood industry, taxpayers, and ratepayers countless millions of dollars in lost revenue and damaged our unique environments.
All the above likely arrived here on vessels entering our country from overseas and they are examples of why we now have strong rules to limit what is called biofouling brought here on vessels visiting our shores – including cruise and cargo ships.
Recently, there have been inaccurate comments about New Zealand’s biofouling rules.
First, New Zealand’s biofouling rules were not developed overnight as some commentators appear to suggest - they were developed over 10 years and then introduced slowly and with great care to allow the cruise industry and others time to adapt.
They were first issued in 2014, came into effect in 2018, and adjusted in 2023 to provide greater clarity. Throughout, we have worked closely with the cruise industry.
In the past cruise season not one of the 45 vessels that entered New Zealand was turned away. In the 2023/24 season only one vessel cancelled its voyage due to biofouling, but it returned fully compliant later in the season. What the above shows is that our close work with the cruise industry is paying off.
It is wrong to say, as a recent columnist did in the Herald, that a vessel was turned away after providing its information a day late.
Long before the cruise season starts our team at Biosecurity New Zealand works closely with cruise operators to ensure they understand our requirements. Vessel operators have months to provide us proof their hulls are clean and plan any required maintenance before arriving in our waters.
We make no apologies for ensuring vessels are not carrying organisms – oysters and others growing on hulls - that will damage unique environments like Milford Sound or cost the fishing industry unknown amounts in lost revenue because of the real and nasty impacts of exotic pests.
Rather than biofouling regulations, the main drivers of the downturn are more complex, including rising operational costs - port fees, fuel, global economic factors such as inflation and exchange rates. These issues are impacting cruise destinations around the world, not just New Zealand. For example, the Australian cruise industry expects a 30% reduction in capacity for the 2025/26 season.
There have also been suggestions that Biosecurity New Zealand – through the taxpayer – should help fund facilities within our waters to help cruise vessels clean their hulls here.
Putting aside the debate about whether taxpayers should subsidise such a venture, such a facility would have to guarantee the capture of everything cleaned otherwise we’ll just be spreading dangerous organisms in our waters.
Our team understands the importance of tourism cruise visits to the economy and we balance that against the very real cost of a pest arriving here and damaging our seafood sector and environment for generations. We must protect places like Milford Sound and the Bay of Islands so future generations of Kiwis and visitors can enjoy them. If they are despoiled no one will pay to visit.
Biosecurity New Zealand remains committed to safeguarding the marine environment while supporting a thriving cruise sector.
Stuart Anderson is head of Biosecurity New Zealand, which works to protect our vital primary sectors, wider economy, and the country’s unique environment from the costly damage of pests and diseases.
