Pests & diseases

Reporting aquatic pests and diseases

Report a fish kill

A fish kill is defined as "any sudden and unexpected mass mortality of wild or cultured fish".

Fish kills are often very visible events, which can cause considerable interest and concern to the public because they're often perceived to be the result of pollution or contamination of waters.

In fact, there are many causes of fish kills, and a large proportion are due to natural events.

Fish kills in the wild should also be reported to a fisheries officer, a Department of Environment and Climate Change (www.environment.nsw.gov.au) (DECC) officer and/or your local Council (www.dlg.nsw.gov.au).

Fisheries officers can be notified by phoning:

24 hour hotline 1800 043 536
your local NSW DPI Fisheries office, and ask to speak to a Fisheries Officer

For more information on fish kills and how you can report them, read:

Fish kill protocol 114.0 kb
Fish kills in NSW - general information 123.5 kb
Submission of fish for disease diagnosis

Reporting aquatic animal diseases

Unusual disease signs, or unexplained deaths in cultured or wild fish, should always be reported to NSW DPI.
The presence or suspected presence of a declared disease must by law be reported to a fisheries officer.

For other information on reporting suspected diseases in NSW, including completion of the:

Specimen Advice Form
Oyster Mortality Form 100Kb

Contact:

Manager
Aquatic Biosecurity and Risk Management
Port Stephens Fisheries Institute
Ph: 02 4982 1232
or
Veterinary Officer
Aquatic Animal Health at Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute in Menangle on 02 4640 6333

More information on reporting:

Report a pest species

If a pest population is discovered early on and reported to DPI, there is a greater chance it can be brought under control.

What should I do if I find a pest?

If you think you've seen any of the marine or freshwater pest species listed on this website, please either take a good quality digital photo and email it to us, or collect a sample of the organism. If it's a fish, place it in a plastic bag and freeze it. If it's a sample of seaweed, take the piece(s) home and carefully dry them between two sheets of blotting paper. Report your sighting to NSW DPI.

To report a sighting

Either phone: 02 4916 3877 (recorded 24 hour service)
Or complete the online form
Or email aquatic.pests@dpi.nsw.gov.au

NSW DPI Aquatic Biosecurity
Port Stephens Fisheries Institute
Locked Bag 1
Nelson Bay NSW 2315
Fax: 02 4916 3979