How to report aquatic pests
Early detection of aquatic pests is critical. Once a pest species has established in an area, it is very difficult, if not impossible to eradicate.
If you think you've seen a marine or freshwater pest, please take good quality digital photos and email them to us, or collect a sample of the organism (or both if possible).
- If it's a fish or invertebrate, place it in a plastic bag and freeze it.
- If it's a seaweed, take the piece(s) home and carefully dry them between two sheets of paper.
- Report your suspicion!
For more information on aquatic pest species including information to help identify see:
For information on freshwater weeds see Weeds.
How to report aquatic diseases
Unusual disease signs, or unexplained deaths in cultured or wild fish, should be reported immediately to the department, and the presence or suspected presence of a notifiable disease must by law be reported to an Authorised Officer.
To report a suspected aquatic animal disease:
- Take a high quality photo of the fish
- Where possible collect a sample. Place in a plastic bag and cover with ice or ice packs. If sampling oysters consider wrapping the sample in a damp cloth or paper towel before bagging.
- Contact the department's Aquatic Biosecurity team and report your suspicion.
For Aquaculture farms experiencing possible disease outbreaks please also see the Aquaculture section for more information on diseases and reporting.
How to report fish kills
A fish kill is "a sudden and unexpected mass mortality of wild or cultured fish". Fish kills can be very visible events that attract a lot of attention, often because they are perceived to be the result of pollution or contamination of the water. In fact, there are many causes of fish kills and they are often the result of natural events.
Fish kills in the wild should be reported to Fisheries Officers by phoning Fishers Watch Phoneline 1800 043 536
For more information, see Fish Kills in NSW.