Two new Otago Regional Council (ORC) advocates will be keeping lake weeds front of mind for boaties and other water users around popular freshwater recreation areas in Central Otago this Summer.

ORC’s Central Biosecurity Team has welcomed Jimmy Matangi (22) and Zac Holt (20) to help spread the word about pests in our water.

Jimmy and Zac will be at a variety of spots across Otago’s lakes and rivers until early February to survey visitors on their awareness of invasive freshwater pests such as lagarosiphon and didymo, and to let them know what they can do to stop their spread.

ORC Central Otago biosecurity officer Mandy Dalziel said the face-to-face engagement is an important part of getting everyone to protect waterways from invasive pests.

“The biggest risk to Otago waterways is the further spread of lagarosiphon, didymo and lake snow,” she said.

“Aquatic pests like didymo can spread very easily between waterways on people’s equipment and vessels, but a few simple steps by boaties and other visitors helps to minimise that risk.

“Every year, our advocates talk to freshwater users, educate them and gather data on their knowledge of freshwater pests and the Check Clean Dry method,” she said. “The survey data tells us a lot about high-risk users, where to find them and what we can do to keep them better informed.”

As well as talking to holiday makers, Zac and Jimmy will be at key events to demonstrate the important message to help protect our waterways; to always check, clean, then dry any equipment that comes into contact with the water, between every waterway, every time.

Check, Clean, Dry is the Ministry for Primary Industries’ method for preventing didymo and other aquatic pests:

Check - Remove any plant matter from your gear and leave it at the site (the river or lake bank) or put it in the rubbish. Don't wash plant material down any drain.

Clean - There's more than one option for cleaning your gear – choose the one that's best for your situation and your gear.

Dry - Ensure your gear is completely dry to touch, inside and out, then leave dry for at least another 48 hours before you use it (didymo can survive for months on moist gear).

The Check, Clean, Dry campaign originated to tackle the spread of didymo, but is now relevant for all freshwater pests.

Find out more about these aquatic pests and others in Otago here.

PHOTO: Supplied