Northland marine biosecurity expert to speak at French Polynesian conference

Northland Regional Council's marine biosecurity specialist Aless Smith with some of the marine pests she is studying and will explain to marine specialists in French Polynesia. Photo / Supplied

After studying marine biosecurity threats in Northland, a Northland Regional Council staff member is off to French Polynesia to talk about her work in the marine biosecurity field.

Marine biosecurity specialist Aless Smith joined the council in 2021, moving from Otago University's New Zealand Marine Studies Centre, where she had worked in marine education.

Smith has now been invited to speak at a two-day workshop on marine biosecurity and detection tools of non-indigenous marine species in Tahiti and Mo'orea in late September.

Organised by the Blue Cradle Foundation, a New Zealand-based non-profit, along with the Cawthron Institute, the country's largest independent science organisation, and the University of French Polynesia, Smith, 27, will provide technical advice from an operational perspective in both a regional and inter-regional sense.

The workshop aims to strengthen co-operation between New Zealand and French Polynesia, the latter of which does not have a management policy for marine pests in its ports.

The collaboration between the Cawthron Institute, the Blue Cradle Foundation and the council stemmed from workshops on marine biosecurity and microplastics held in June last year, in Whangārei.

As well as speaking at the September event, Smith said the workshop will be relevant to Northland, as the focus is on subtropical expansion of marine species.

"There is relevance to Northland, which is likely to face similar problems to that of other Pacific nations resulting from climate change,'' she said.

She is very much looking forward to strengthening ties with other communities in the Pacific, and also representing the council and showcasing all the great work we do here with others.

"I'm also keen to share my experiences with local communities to encourage them to be more aware of biosecurity issues," Smith said.

The Blue Cradle Foundation proposes to elaborate on ship biofouling studies done by New Zealand and French Polynesian researchers in November 2018, which looked at rapid DNA sequencing technique to survey invasive alien species.

Among the themes the workshop will cover are the anticipation of the arrival of new species to the Pacific, preventing their introduction and spread, and management of current invasive species. The bulk of the costs of Smith's trip are being met by the Blue Cradle Foundation.