Story: Marine invaders

Vacuum removal of fouling

Underwater vacuum cleaning is a new technique for removing soft fouling species. This diver is cleaning the hull of the Steel Mariner, a logging barge that was left moored in the Marlborough Sounds for several years. Vessels with fouling brought into an area and moored for extended periods pose a particular threat as the fouling species can reproduce several times and become well established. The species in this video, Didemnum vexillum, is native to New Zealand but does not occur naturally in the Marlborough Sounds.

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Cawthron Institute
Video by Ashley Coutts

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How to cite this page:

Christina Troup, 'Marine invaders - Preventing future invasions', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/8719/vacuum-removal-of-fouling (accessed 5 May 2024)

Story by Christina Troup, published 12 Jun 2006