Important News and Updates

New Zealand To Ban Felt Soled Wading Boots This Season

It has been decided that felt soled wading shoes will be banned in New Zealand starting October 1, 2008. This ban was signed off by the Minister of Conservation as requested and presented by Fish & Game New Zealand on Monday, September 1, 2008. The new condition is part of the Anglers Notice and comes into affect from the beginning of the fishing season, which opens on October 1st.

Felt soled boots harbor high-risk microscopic aquatic organisms such as didymo, which is having a negative effect on several of the rivers on New Zealand’s South Island. Anglers must still “Check, Clean and Dry” all equipment that has been in contact with the effected water before moving to new waters.

Angler’s Passport has been recommending to their clients they not bring felt soled wading shoes into the country for over a year now and instead they should opt to purchase a new type of wading show with Aqua Stealth soles (with studs) which still provide good gripping on rocks but without the use of felts. It is not as good as felt and most likely never will be, but it’s all we have for now.

Biosecurity New Zealand has declared the entire South Island a “controlled area for didymo” which means the rivers are still open to fishing and other water related activities but people are legally obligated to prevent the spreading of didymo. Didymosphenia geminata commonly known as didymo or rock snot is a freshwater microscopic diatom (type of alga) that can spread by a single drop of water and uses stalks to attach to streambed material forming thick mats that smother rocks, plants and other materials. Since felt soled boots act like a sponge, they can fill with this organism which can remain alive for over a month in the felt soles and hence can be spread from one waterway to another and from country to country as well.

This is not the cure all for didymo and other nuisance aquatic pests. The alga can still be absorbed by shoelaces and other materials so it is still imperative that people continue to clean their equipment and clothing appropriately to avoid contamination of other stream systems where didymo is currently not present. Simply changing wading boots is not going to solve anything if people don’t get involved in protecting their waters and be more diligent about not taking wet boots from one body of water to another without cleaning and drying their boots first. Or change into a clean, dry pair of boots before changing streams.

It’s in your best interest to protect your fisheries, all of them and there is no time like the present to get started. Leave your felts at home and start learning to clean, check and dry your equipment every time you use it from now on both here and abroad.

For more information on didymo and how to properly clean your gear, see the biosecurity website at www.biosecurity.govt.nz/didymo or contact us at 1-800-440-2699.