Keep it clean!

19 March 2003

Take it new or keep it clean is the latest environmental initiative undertaken by the AAD to ensure effective quarantine practices by all visitors, expeditioners and tourists, to our subantarctic and Antarctic stations.

Grass seed found on expeditioner clothing. AAD photo

AAD and Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry, Water and Environment (DPIWE) botanists recently undertook a study of the plant and animal material that could be accidentally introduced to Macquarie Island. The results horrified them!

The clothing, equipment and footwear of expeditioners on one voyage contained a total of 960 seeds that could have been transferred ashore had cleaning procedures not been in place. Back in Hobart, 150 of these have since been germinated. All species germinated were weeds - grasses, sedges and flowering plants arriving with the expeditioners from all over the world. A similar process undertaken this summer on a tourist cruise revealed similar results.

Buzzie burr seed found on expeditioner clothing. AAD photo

It is really important to keep alien organisms from reaching our southern stations and surrounds. Milder conditions from current climate change provide alien plants and animals with a greater chance of establishing, and then possibly causing permanent damage to subantarctic and Antarctic ecosystems.

Cargo awating transfer at the Macquarie Wharf facility. AAD photo

The periodic discovery of soil, insects, and various types of plant material in cargo, has led to new, more vigilant cargo handling practices being implemented over the past couple of years. Quarantine officers are appointed on each voyage. All cargo handling staff are well versed in where to look, and what action to take: all cargo is meticulously searched, while cage pallets and boxes are cleaned with hot water. A major decrease in cargo contamination with soil, insects and plant material has occurred with the move of the main cargo storage and loading from rural Kingston to the Macquarie Wharf.

Cobwebs on cargo can harbour spiders and other insects. AAD photo

The AAD has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Quarantine Tasmania, which requires that all vessels and cargo are checked before departure by Quarantine Tasmania officials and sniffer dogs. In addition, regular fumigation and baiting of the cargo facility and ships are undertaken.

Fungus on sweet potato. AAD photo

Under the MOU, inspections are carried out on all fresh fruit and vegetables before they are packed to prevent the transfer of insect and fungal infestations. The increased vigilance has resulted in very clean cargo this summer.

Hosing down cage pallets at the Macquarie Wharf cargo facility. AAD photo

All incoming expeditioners will be specifically instructed on how to examine and clean clothing and equipment. The quarantine training will include alerting people to potential danger areas such as soiled camera tripod legs, camera bags, rucksacks, velcro fastenings on clothing, gaiters and footwear, boot linings and clothing pockets.

Some issued clothing and equipment items are being modified, for example, the replacement of velcro, identified as a major store of seeds, with other types of fasteners. New educational and promotional material such as posters, are being developed to inform expeditioners of the hazards and threats posed by introduced species, and the provision of new cleaning facilities at Kingston for expeditioners' personal clothing and equipment is also being investigated.

The development of such practices is particularly important for the field program scheduled for Heard Island next season. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1997, Heard Island is one of the wildest, most remote and breathtakingly beautiful places on the planet. Human impact on the island is minimal, and its uniquely intact ecosystem was one of the reasons for its listing as a World Heritage property. Only by observing stringent quarantine practices, and ensuring that all new expeditioners are trained in a high level of awareness, will we be assured that the island will maintain its pristine status.