SurveillanceMINISTRY FOR PRIMARY INDUSTRIES REPORTING ON NEW ZEALAND’S BIOSECURITY HEALTH STATUS VOLUME 44, NO 4, DECEMBER 2017 INSIDE: Quarterly report of investigations of suspected exotic diseases PlantsINSIDE: and environment investigation report Quarterly report of investigations of suspected exotic marine and freshwater pestsReports and from diseases Ministry for Primary Industries Introducing the MPI Readiness and Response Services Directorate Quarterly reports: July to September 2017 Ants: old foes and new threats to New Zealand Surveillance ISSN 1176-5305 Surveillance is published on behalf of the Director Diagnostics & Surveillance Services Contents (Veronica Herrera). The articles in this quarterly report do not necessarily reflect government policy. Editorial Editor: Michael Bradstock Aquatic biosecurity: pathways to protection 3 Technical Editors: Jonathan Watts, Lora Peacock ANIMALS Correspondence and requests to receive Reports from Ministry for Primary Industries Surveillance should be addressed to: Introducing the MPI Readiness and Response Services Directorate 4 Editor Korea-New Zealand 2nd Animal Health and Epidemiology Workshop, Surveillance Ministry for Primary Industries 13−15 September 2017 6 PO Box 2526 Wellington, New Zealand Quarterly reports: July to September 2017 email: [email protected] Quarterly review of diagnostic cases 8 Quarterly report of investigations of suspected exotic diseases 19 Reproduction: Articles in Surveillance may be reproduced (except for commercial use or on advertising or promotional material), provided proper acknowledgement is made to the author MARINE AND FRESHWATER and Surveillance as source. Reports from Ministry for Primary Industries Publication: Surveillance is published quarterly Emerging risks in the aquatic space 21 in March, June, September and December. Distribution via email is free of charge for Quarterly reports: July to September 2017 subscribers in New Zealand and overseas. Quarterly report of investigations of suspected exotic marine Editorial services: Words & Pictures, Wellington and freshwater pests and diseases 22 www.wordpict.co.nz Surveillance is available on the Ministry for Primary Industries website at PLANTS AND ENVIRONMENT www.mpi.govt.nz/publications/surveillance/ Reports from Ministry for Primary Industries index.htm Ants: old foes and new threats to New Zealand 25 Articles from previous issues are also available to subscribers to SciQuest®, a fully indexed Quarterly reports: July to September 2017 and searchable e-library of New Zealand and Exotic plant and environment investigations report: Australian veterinary and animal science and veterinary continuing education publications, July to September 2017 27 at www.sciquest.org.nz Surveillance is published as the Ministry for Primary Industries’ authoritative source PEST WATCH 32 of information on the ongoing biosecurity surveillance activity and the health status of New Zealand’s animal and plant populations in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. It reports information of interest both locally and internationally and complements New Zealand’s international reporting. 2 Surveillance 44 (4) 2017 Editorial Highlights of diagnostics and surveillance One thing is for certain: aquatic biosecurity never stands still. aquatic pathway in New Zealand. The range extensions of Which is part of the problem, I suppose: things are always some of the marine pests show there are active conveyors on the move – animals, vessels, marine pests and pathogens. out there and those pathways need to be managed too, Within the aquaculture industry there’s a push to make our preferably to a consistent national standard. There are positive biosecurity systems better. But the industry also needs help: it is initiatives already happening. Here in the Top of the South, a huge interlinked dynamic aquatic environment out there and the three regional councils have worked together to establish everyone has a role to play to protect our primary industries complementary small-scale management programmes to help in the aquatic space, our environment, ecosystem services prevent the Mediterranean fanworm from establishing. The and biodiversity. Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the councils and the Top of the South Biosecurity Partnership have also been working Our industry is one of farmers, growing and nurturing some together to improve the issue of hull biofouling, through of the best seafood in the world right here in New Zealand’s education and the introduction of biosecurity requirements in freshwater and marine environments. We are focusing on new marina berth agreements. Ideally, we would also see the biosecurity for many reasons. Yes, there are direct risks to the increased availability of sufficient suitable water space to enable farming businesses themselves. A single pathogen can have international best practice in area management to be more fully huge implications on productivity or the ability to farm a implemented throughout the aquaculture sector. species at all. Marine pests compete with our shellfish for food and space on the farms. For an industry worth over $500m a What is clear through all this work is that there are many year and employing more than 3 000 New Zealanders, often in unanswered questions in aquatic biosecurity. Questions about regional areas with fewer employment opportunities, the risks pest and pathogen behaviour in our waters and our species, that biosecurity failures bring are worth getting serious about. predicting effects to enable sound management decisions to But more than that, our aquatic farmers are passionate about be made and the need for new tools to manage some of the the environment that makes the seafood special. It may be their pathways better. This is where science comes in. While we have workspace, but it is also their backyard where they swim, boat, been well served by the science community, there hasn’t been fish and dive. the opportunity to focus a complete research programme on aquatic pathogens and biosecurity. Until now, that is. There have been challenges and there will continue to be challenges. We have seen the appearance of new to In September the Ministry of Business, Innovation and New Zealand organisms. The aquaculture industry doesn’t Employment announced over $14m of funding for a 5-year import live animals or germplasm, so while those risk pathways aquatic animal health and biosecurity research programme don’t exist, the sea doesn’t have fences, and risks still make it based at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson. This programme into our waters. But the border isn’t everything: we also need to will bring to bear a range of national and international science think about the pathways within New Zealand. expertise on the New Zealand scenario and species. Focusing on what can be done to address New Zealand’s aquatic animal The aquaculture industry has always had biosecurity provisions health needs and our own biosecurity risk pathways, we will see in its codes of practice, but our current initiatives are taking cutting-edge science put to work in detection and diagnostic another look strategically at the risk profile of our sectors, the methods, studying the behaviour of pests and pathogens present pathways within our industry, where we can set up our own in this country, and developing predictive and management internal borders and how to manage our own risks better. tools. Our capability will be enhanced in aquatic epidemiology, We’ve started this in our three biggest sectors – salmon, molecular and bioinformatic systems, fish immunology, aquatic mussels and oysters. The result will be new biosecurity risk assessment and decision support systems – capabilities we requirements covering facility standards, risk communication, need in New Zealand to address new challenges as they arise. surveillance, health monitoring, response and, importantly, stock movements. These standards will be embedded in our It has taken a while to get here, but the momentum is building world-class sustainable management framework, called “A+ and we can look forward to more robust pathways and better New Zealand Sustainable Aquaculture”. Farmers will self-report biosecurity systems to protect the environment and our aquatic on-line against all the sustainability standards, including the farming sector. biosecurity requirements, and independent assessors will check adherence to the standards. We are also working towards signing the Government Industry Agreement on Biosecurity, hopefully in 2018. Colin Johnston Technical Director, Aquaculture New Zealand But we also need help. The aquaculture sector isn’t the only [email protected] Surveillance 44 (4) 2017 3 ANIMALS Introducing the MPI Readiness and Response Services Directorate MPI’s Readiness and Response Services readiness and recovery activity across Readiness Group Manager Melanie Directorate brings together the all regulatory systems; Russell says, “Our role is to improve capabilities to effectively prepare for and • strengthen MPI’s control and co- our overall readiness to respond in the manage responses, and to co-ordinate ordination of operational responses biosecurity, food, trade, and primary recovery and long-term management by working with third party suppliers; production systems and build our activities. We work collaboratively across • operate our readiness, response, readiness for specific threats such as foot- the biosecurity, food, primary production recovery and long-term management and-mouth