Didymo

The Government is working to prevent the introduction of didymo to Australia at Quarantine entry points. Anglers who are visiting Australia or returning home from a fishing trip overseas are now required to declare all used fishing equipment for inspection. Any potentially contaminated fishing or other freshwater recreational equipment will be confiscated by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) and treated at the traveller’s expense.

Used fishing gear is a potential carrier of pests like didymo.

All freshwater recreational equipment is a potential source of transmission of didymo.

Didymo was declared a ‘List A Pest’ under the Plant Quarantine Act 1997.

To avoid the confiscation and treatment of fishing equipment by AQIS, anglers should ensure that all their gear is cleaned and dried prior to travelling. As a guide to cleaning, the treatments used by AQIS vary depending on the item’s porosity and its ability to retain water without detection.

Items that are easy to clean and dry, such as cloth fishing bags, knee guards and gaiters, neoprene socks, and non-plastic rope and fishing nets, should be soaked for one minute in a decontaminant solution such as household bleach. Where AQIS can determine that these items are completely dry and have not been in contact with any waterway for a period of 48 hours, they may be released without treatment.

In the case of items that are more difficult to clean and dry, such as felt soled wading boots, hiking boots, soft foam or cork rod handles, the best treatment is to soak them in a hot water solution containing 2-5% disinfectant solution for 30-45 minutes and dry them thoroughly. Where it is not possible for AQIS to determine that these items are completely dry, treatment is mandatory. This may involve gamma irradiation, hot air (at 45°C) treatment for 40 minutes, or cold storage at -18°C for 24 hours. AQIS advises that some of these treatments may have adverse effects on some goods