QLD PORTS GIVEN THE OK

Several significant ports in tropical Queensland have been certified 'clean' in the results of studies undertaken by the CRC Reef Research Centre Ltd based in Townsville.

The two-year project was funded by the Queensland Ports Corporation and followed similar work focusing on southern temperate ports, which was prompted by the discovery of noxious pests including the Japanese Sea Star infestation in Tasmania.

The team started virtually from scratch to build up baseline information on Mourilyan Harbour (sugar), Abbot Point (coal), Lucinda (sugar), Weipa (bauxite) and Karumba (live cattle and zinc) said Chief Investigator of the Introduced Marine Pest Surveys in Tropical Queensland, Dr Frank Hoedt. (Pronounced: Hoe-t).

"This was the first thorough investigation of ports specifically aimed at introduced marine pests," Dr Hoedt said. "We found surprisingly few introduced species in Queensland waters and nothing that looks like a problem."

"The taxonomic information on these species is poor compared to southern temperate waters and we are working in conjunction with museums around Australia to identify these animals. We are getting between three hundred and six hundred species in each port survey. So scientifically, it is a great study.

The Queensland Ports Corporation would be funding on-going research into these and other ports in the tropics in an effort to be vigilant, said Dr Hoedt.

"There are a lot of factors determining whether an introduced species will actually succeed or not. It has to find a niche, or a gap in the environment," Dr Hoedt said. "It has to have the right temperature and habitat."

"One of the possible reasons that there is less infestation in the tropics is that a lot of the shipping traffic comes from cooler waters like Japan and a lot of the animals don't survive.

"There are a few ports such as Singapore which have a very similar temperature habitat to tropical Queensland ports and can be considered 'risk' ports. Animals coming in on ships from Singapore could potentially settle here."

"The most serious infestation in a tropical port has been the Black Striped Mussel in Darwin. It colonised large areas of the marina in a period of three months. It shows that there are threats to northern tropical ports and harbours."

Attention Editors/Chiefs of Staff: Dr Hoedt is on 4781 5721 and will be available for comment at 0900 AM Wednesday 27/SEPT/2000. For further information contact Media Liaison Robert Dark 0417 623 156.