Pet store's accidental pest sale

An aggressive plant pest that can take over ponds, lakes and waterways has been mistakenly sold by a Papamoa pet store, prompting a biosecurity warning.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council biosecurity officer Andrew Blayney is asking Papamoa pond and aquarium owners to check for the invasive pest hornwort following the recent accidental sale.


Plant pest hornwort was mistaken for oxygen weed by a Papamoa pet store.

Hornwort is easily mistaken for oxygen weed but grows more aggressively. It grows easily from the smallest fragments and can take over freshwater ponds and lakes, he says.

'If hornwort finds its way into the local drainage reserves, there's a risk of further spread. We want to contain it before it has a chance to affect recreation, block irrigation or drainage systems, and displace native plants and fish in the region.”

Andrew would not say which store was at fault, because it was an honest mistake.

He says the hornwort was sold from a shop, not a market, and he believes less than five customers purchased the weed.

'The store owner stopped selling hornwort as soon as they realised the mistake, but a few customers had taken some home before then.”

Anyone who finds hornwort should either dispose of it through the general rubbish collection or contact Bay of Plenty Regional Council for advice and assistance, he says.

'Whatever you do, please don't tip it into a local waterway or send it down the drain.”

Phone 0800 880 884 or email info@boprc.govt.nz

You may also like....

3 comments

so why,

Posted on 17-09-2014 13:19 | By Sambo Returns

or how did it find its way to the store in question..... is it another case of "smart" work by our border protectors, I would be a damn site more worried about something like this adding to some very destructive and invasive weeds already in our waterways, rather than someone hacking my Emails.


SO HOW

Posted on 17-09-2014 13:31 | By s83cruiser

did a noxious aquatic weed come to be in a retail situation in the first place. Has someone been growing this weed wholesale to supply to outlets such as the one that retailed it. Surely the source is traceable and whom ever is growing this stuff should be stopped and pay for the hazard clean up.


Apparently

Posted on 19-09-2014 19:48 | By BigBossPants

The weed was collected from a waterway by a "fisherman friend up north". Apparently. Not really a case of mistaken identity because even if they thought they were collecting oxyweed, the type that grows wild is illegal too... Also this was reported to the council by a member of the public, not by covert means.


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.