Underwater vacuum cleaning is a new technique for removing soft fouling species. This diver is cleaning the hull of the Steel Mariner, a logging barge that was left moored in the Marlborough Sounds for several years. Vessels with fouling brought into an area and moored for extended periods pose a particular threat as the fouling species can reproduce several times and become well established. The species in this video, Didemnum vexillum, is native to New Zealand but does not occur naturally in the Marlborough Sounds.
Using this item
by Ashley Coutts
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.