As part of her PhD project, Gaby Keeler-May and volunteers from the community successfully cleared just under 12 tonnes of Undaria pinnatifida from 6 sites within the East Otago Taiāpure from November 2019 – January 2020.

Sites will be monitored over the next two years for the presence of Undaria, and native seaweed assemblage.

Assc. Prof Chris Hepburn swimming two catch bags full of Undaria to the tender boat for removal.
Assc. Prof Chris Hepburn using a dive knife to carefully remove Undaria from an assemblage of native brown seaweeds.
Bill Dickinson using the Polaris II hydrolics to transfer large fages full of Undaria to the larger vessel for processing.
Mark Elder helping divers transfer catch bags full of Undaria to the tender boat.
Mature Undaria pinnatifida seaweed with large, frilly brown reproductive sporophylls.