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The start of the whitebait season next week has brought fresh calls for boaties to help prevent the spread of didymo.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is urging whitebaiters to "check, clean and dry" their equipment to protect waterways from the non-indigenous alga.
Didymo South Island Operations Manager Jeff Donaldson said all waterways should be treated as if there were infected.
The ministry recommends that nets and other absorbent materials be decontaminated by soaking them in a 5 per cent solution of dishwashing liquid or nappy cleaner until thoroughly saturated.
Non-absorbent items such as tyres, trailers and buckets should be sprayed with the same solution.
Other cleaning options include a 2 per cent salt solution, soaking in hot water and freezing until solid or dry.
"If cleaning is not practical, whitebaiters must restrict their gear to a single waterway."
The whitebait season kicks off in Nelson and Marlborough on August 15 and runs until November.
On the West Coast the season begins September 1 and ends on November 14.
- NZPA
