Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Crackdown on pests brought to lakes

Rotorua Daily Post
21 Jan, 2016 10:30 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rotorua lakes are being put at risk by users.

Rotorua lakes are being put at risk by users.

Rotorua's lakes are being put at risk by users who fail to complete basic checks to prevent the spread of pest-fish and weeds.

Swimming, fishing, boating and biodiversity is being jeopardised by lake users failing to complete checks before entering the water, according to Department of Conservation (DOC) and Bay of Plenty Regional Council officials.

The organisations will have an ongoing presence at boat ramps this summer as part of a campaign to stop the spread of aquatic pests such as koi carp, didymo and catfish.

Despite this presence, there have been repeated cases of lake users introducing pest weeds to lakes where they do not already exist.

"Unfortunately, we've noted lake users backing trailers into the Blue Lake (Tikitapu) with weed fragments attached. If users are not vigilant about cleaning their boats and trailers before launch it is likely that new aquatic pests will find a home in our lakes. This is really disappointing and the consequences could be long-term," said DOC's summer advocacy ranger Melissa van dan Heuvel.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Tikitapu and Lake Rotoma are two of our more pristine lakes and popular for recreational use.

"The establishment of new aquatic pests would be devastating for the environment and significantly impact lake users."

Hornwort and other freshwater weeds spread rapidly, creating a weed mat smothering native fish and posing a risk to boat users and swimmers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Lakes Rotoiti, Tarawera, and Rotorua have hornwort, elodea, lagarosiphon and egeria present.

Other lakes may not have established populations of these weeds, but are at risk when lake users transport equipment which has not been appropriately cleaned. Many aquatic weeds can establish from a single fragment.

Many pests are not currently confirmed in Rotorua's lakes.

"Catfish and koi carp and red-slider turtles are species that are common in the Waikato lakes and waterways. We definitely don't want them establishing here but that requires lake users being responsible," she said.

Discover more

Shelves are full-but more welcome

21 Jan 06:29 PM

McClay: TPP good for Rotorua

21 Jan 07:37 PM

Rentals getting tough to find

21 Jan 09:30 PM

"All it takes is three simple steps - check, clean, and dry."

Free packs containing cleaning detergent and information on aquatic pests are available from the Rotorua DOC office, 99 Sala St.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

No more 'hunting hui': Māori educators launch association to curb feelings of isolation

12 Jul 06:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

'Merry hell' in Mamaku: Village held 'to ransom' by hoons

11 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

No more 'hunting hui': Māori educators launch association to curb feelings of isolation

No more 'hunting hui': Māori educators launch association to curb feelings of isolation

12 Jul 06:00 PM

After 30 years a new chapter begins for Māori teachers seeking connection and support.

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM
'Merry hell' in Mamaku: Village held 'to ransom' by hoons

'Merry hell' in Mamaku: Village held 'to ransom' by hoons

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP