Sweetwater Fishing Forums
General Category => News Views & Press Releases => Topic started by: Editor on May 24, 2013, 09:42:54 PM
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Targeting limnocharis for eradication
News release | 20 May, 2013
Biosecurity Queensland officers will be seeking out the exotic weed Limnocharis this month as they work towards removing every last plant in Australia.
Tropical weed eradication project coordinator Mick Jeffery said officers would conduct boat and foot surveillance along the Ross River to locate the weed.
"We want to ensure every section of the river is searched to ensure no Limnocharis plants are missed," Mr Jeffery said.
"Limnocharis traps sediment and slows water flow which provides a habitat for mosquitoes.
"The aquatic weed can grow up to one metre in height and produces small cup-shaped yellow flowers every two months.
"Young plants appear similar to water hyacinth, with the leaf blade becoming broader in mature plants.
"Limnocharis has the ability to produce nearly 1,000 seeds every time it flowers and these either make the infestation worse, or they simply float away to create a new problem elsewhere."
Mick Jeffery said Limnocharis was first detected in Townsville's Ross River in early 2012.
"There have been 30 known Limnocharis infestations recorded in North Queensland, with almost half now officially eradicated," Mr Jeffery said.
"It was first found in Australia in 2001, with infestations so far being limited to North Queensland between Townsville and Mossman.
"The weed is believed to have been introduced by gardeners who were unaware of the severe damage caused by Limnocharis in Asia to rice paddies, irrigation channels and wetlands."
Limnocharis is a Class 1 declared pest due to its invasiveness and ability to invade wetlands, rivers and dams where it can displace native plants and animals.
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It would be very helpful if they included this link in their post so that people could recognize it.
http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/documents/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/IPA-Limnocharis-PP141.pdf (http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/documents/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/IPA-Limnocharis-PP141.pdf)
heers
Ray