Whether you’re out fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, jet skiing, or boating on our freshwater lakes and rivers this summer, the threat of freshwater pests spreading and invading is more real than ever. These pests can choke native water plants and destroy spawning areas for the fish that call our region home.

Pests like egeria is already established in the Avon River, and the freshwater gold clam is spreading in the North Island making the threat to our waterways very real. Many lakes and rivers in Waitaha Canterbury remain pest-free, and we all have a role to play in keeping them that way by thoroughly cleaning and decontaminating gear and vessels before entering any new waterway.

How to prevent freshwater weed invasions

If you’ve been in a lake, river, stream, or wetland and plan to move to another within 48 hours, you must clean all your gear that has been wet using the Check, Clean, Dry method.