Horizons praises accommodation provider for spotting invasive clams
Published on 18 July 2024
Horizons Regional Council is praising the keen eye of a Central North Island accommodation provider who reported highly invasive freshwater clams collected by some of his guests.
Corbicula fluminea, known by its common name freshwater gold clam, were found in the Waikato region in May 2023 and are currently under management by Biosecurity New Zealand. The clams are prolific breeders and can reach extremely high densities when the conditions are right producing up to 400 juveniles a day. This means they can clog water-based infrastructure, such as electricity generation plants, irrigation systems, and water treatment plants. They can compete with native species for food and space.
Andrew Dewing discovered the clams when he was inspecting the room of some departing guests at his lodge in Ōwhango.
Mr Dewing was immediately suspicious and checked in with the Horizons Regional Council freshwater advocate Dave Cade, also known as Didymo Dave.
“I’ve seen Didymo Dave’s Facebook posts and had dealings with him here and there. One of his posts was about the gold clam and I thought ‘heck, we can’t have those here’.”
With Mr Cade’s help, Mr Dewing took photos of the clams, which were reported to Biosecurity New Zealand who confirmed the clams were the invasive freshwater gold clam currently under management in the Waikato. The clams were collected from a known site at Lake Karapiro.
The clams were safely destroyed and the clam collectors were provided with information about the clams by Biosecurity New Zealand staff.
Horizons team leader pest plants Michael Beech says hats off to Andrew Dewing for doing the right thing straight away.
“Biosecurity is a team game with every individual having a role to play to protect our treasured freshwater spaces,” says Mr Beech.
“We’re grateful for Andrew’s keen eye and want to thank him for doing the right thing and reporting this straight away. We want to keep our waterways, and other regions for that matter, free of this invasive species.”
Mr Beech says the Whanganui River catchment is of particular significance and Horizons is working with Ngā Tangata Tiaki, other organisations, and the community to raise awareness about to how to protect the awa from gold clam and other freshwater pests.
Department of Conservation freshwater ecosystems and threats manager Nicki Atkinson says they are pleased to see the public keeping an eye out for these pests.
“They have the potential to really damage some of our native freshwater fauna and ecosystems so it’s critically important we do everything we can to stop their spread,” says Ms Atkinson.
If you see corbicula freshwater clams, take a photo, call Biosecurity New Zealand on 0800 80 99 66 or use the online form at report.mpi.govt.nz. Remember to leave the clam where you found it – don’t move it.
To find out more about corbicula freshwater clams and what you can do to stop their spread go to the Biosecurity New Zealand website.