Viewpoint Marine biosecurity: The importance of awareness, support and cooperation in managing a successful incursion response Richard F. Piola a,⇑ , Justin I. McDonald b a Defence Science and Technology Organisation, 506 Lorimer Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3207, Australia b Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, P.O. Box 20, North Beach, Western Australia 6920, Australia article info Keywords: Biofouling Perna viridis Asian green mussel Non-indigenous species Royal Australian Navy abstract Shipping is almost certainly the most prevalent human-mediated transport vector for non-indigenous species (NIS) within the marine environment. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has long acknowledged the importance of sound environmental management and in recent years has taken a proactive approach to addressing risks associated with marine biosecurity. primarily as a result of biofouling on Navy vessel returning from overseas operations. This paper describes two case studies that highlight the effectiveness of the RAN marine biosecurity management framework in identifying an unwanted marine species on Navy vessels, and the successful biosecurity management program that ensued. In particular, the early detection and identification of a suspect NIS, the quick response to the discovery and the collaborative approach adopted between the RAN and the Government regulatory agency (Western Australian Depart- ment of Fisheries) charged with coordinating the incursion response serves as a model for how future incursion responses should be reported and managed. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The translocation and establishment of introduced species to regions outside of their natural range can have considerable envi- ronmental, economic and social impacts throughout the world (Mack et al., 2000; Vitousek et al., 1997). Of the numerous human-mediated transport vectors of non-indigenous species (NIS) within the marine environment, shipping is almost certainly the most prevalent and important (Carlton and Geller, 1993; He- witt et al., 2009), having the capacity to transport suites of viable organisms across international and domestic borders at ever increasing rates (Minchin and Gollasch, 2003). In fact, the Interna- tional Maritime Organisation (IMO) considerers the introduction of NIS (through mechanisms such as ballast water discharge and ves- sel biofouling) as one of the greatest threats to the worlds marine environments, alongside pollution, the exploitation of marine re- sources and the physical alteration/destruction of marine habitats (IMO, 2006). Being an ocean-bound nation, Australia is particularly reliant on shipping, both as a means of transporting goods in, out and around the country, and in support of other primary industries such as commercial fishing and oil and gas production. For example, over 95% of Australia’s current imports and exports are transported by sea (DoIT, 2010). As such, Australia is particularly susceptible to the introduction of non-indigenous species from a range of ship- ping sectors, including commercial cargo and container ships, bulk carriers, commercial fishing vessels, oil and gas industry vessels (e.g. oil rigs), recreation boats and non-trading vessels (e.g. barges, dredges, defence vessels). In response to biosecurity risks associated with shipping, the Australian federal and state/territory governments, along with marine industries and marine scientists, have implemented the Australian National System for the Prevention and Management of Marine Pest Incursions (hereafter referred to as the National Sys- tem; DAFF, 2011). The National System aims to prevent new mar- ine pests arriving, coordinate and support a response when a NIS does arrive in a region, and minimize the spread and impact of those marine pests already established in Australia (DAFF, 2011). In the case of shipping, this is largely achieved through the devel- opment of guidelines and frameworks for the effective manage- ment of ballast water and biofouling, port monitoring and surveillance, and the coordination of incursion response events when unwanted species are detected. In accordance with well established IMO Ballast Water Conven- tions (IMO, 2004), the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) stipulates mandatory protocols for the management of bal- last water by international vessels within Australian waters (AQIS, 2011). In contrast, international guidelines for the management of ship biofouling have only recently been adopted (IMO, 2011). While Australian authorities do have the power to inspect high risk 0025-326X/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.06.004 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 3 9626 8565; fax: +61 3 9626 8341. E-mail addresses: richard.piola@dsto.defence.gov.au (R.F. Piola), justin.mcdonald@ fish.wa.gov.au (J.I. McDonald). Marine Pollution Bulletin 64 (2012) 1766–1773 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Marine Pollution Bulletin journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/marpolbul