The National Management Group (NMG) for Asian green mussel (Perna viridis) – comprising all governments – has approved an Incident Definition Response Plan for determining the feasibility of eradication of Asian green mussel from Queensland.
This is the first use of the Incident Definition Response provision under the National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement (NEBRA).
The Incident Definition Response Plan has been approved on the presumption that eradication is feasible; however, further surveillance is required to determine the technical, scientific and practical feasibility of eradicating this pest. Activities in the Response Plan will build on surveillance work already undertaken by Queensland in Weipa Harbour since the initial detection in September 2024.
The Incident Definition Response will continue in 2025-26 until the NMG has sufficient information to decide whether eradication of Asian green mussel is technically feasible and cost-beneficial.
The Australian Government, Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Northern Territory governments have committed up to $603,300 under this Response Plan. These are the states and territories with coastline that may be directly impacted if the pest were to spread, as Asian green mussel is a tropical species that requires warm waters to survive and reproduce.
If eradication is deemed viable, the NMG will then determine whether the incident will move to cost-shared Emergency Eradication Response.
Asian green mussel is a nationally significant marine pest and listed on the Australian Priority Marine Pest List (APMPL) and the National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases (EEPL). It poses biosecurity risks to marine ecosystems, aquaculture, and infrastructure.
If you suspect you have found a marine pest or disease, report it to the Commonwealth, state or territory authority where it was found with the contact details listed at www.marinepests.gov.au/report. You can find out more about how we respond to environmental pest and disease incidents at outbreak.gov.au.