With over 10,000 kilometers of coastline, inlets, and islands, northern Australia is vast, remote, and remains the frontline for many emerging biosecurity threats. Whilst crucial to the connectivity of northern Australia, the maritime network of both domestic and international vessels is a significant entry pathway for exotic marine pests and diseases.
The regulation of ballast water and biofouling on international vessels entering northern Australia significantly mitigates these biosecurity risks, though “leakage” through this regulated pathway does occur. This is why the development of a cost-effective and operationally practical early detection surveillance program for marine pests is so important for effective biosecurity management.
For close to a decade, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, through the Indigenous Ranger Biosecurity Program (IRBP), has facilitated marine pest settlement array surveillance at several ports across northern Australia.
This presentation provides an overview of this marine pest settlement array surveillance program, highlighting the unique challenges of operating in remote northern Australia. It will also detail the project’s evolution from reliance on visual inspections and species identification to the integration of environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. This shift aims to enhance detection capabilities, improving early identification of marine pests, and contribute to more effective biosecurity management.