Confirmation of Caprella scauroides Mayer, 1903 (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from New Zealand, using integrative techniques.

The presence of caprellid amphipod, Caprella scauroides is confirmed for the first time from New Zealand waters through two separate sample submissions received by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Marine Invasives Taxonomic Service (MITS) during May 2017, both from Okahu Bay, Waitemata Harbour, from swing mooring ropes. A subsequent report (November 2017) recorded the species from the Whangarei Harbour Marine High Risk Site Surveillance (MHRSS) survey. Caprella scauroides, non-indigenous to New Zealand, is morphologically similar and closely related to the known invasive, Caprella californica, with which it is often confused. Caprella scauroides from New Zealand is described in detail using both morphological and molecular methods.

Biosecurity risks associated with in-water and shore-based marine vessel hull cleaning operations.

The removal of biofouling from vessels during hull cleaning can pose a biosecurity threat if viable, non-indigenous organisms are released into the aquatic environment. However, the effect of cleaning on biofouling organism viability in different types of cleaning operations has been poorly studied. We compared the effects of hull cleaning on biofouling organisms removed from 36 marine vessels during in-water (without capture of cleaning waste) and shore-based (with capture, and treatment of cleaning waste) cleaning. In-water cleaning resulted in higher proportions of viable biofouling organisms surviving cleaning (62.3 ± 7.1% of all organisms examined) compared to dry dock (37.8 ± 8.6%) and haul-out (20.1 ± 5.3%) operations. For shore-based facilities with effluent treatment systems, concentrations of organisms and/or their propagules in cleaning effluent was reduced by ≥ 98.5% compared to initial hydro-blast effluent concentrations. These results can be used in guidance for hull cleaning operations to minimize associated biosecurity risk.