Media Release

24 April 2013

Duck shooters advised to watch dogs on rivers and lakes

Duck shooters are advised by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to keep a close watch on dogs around rivers and other water bodies this hunting season, due to the risks posed by cyanobacteria (blue-green) algae.

Because of the long dry summer and low river flows, there are still high levels of this algae on the Tukituki River in particular. The algae mats occasionally detach from the river bed and end up along the river margins where dogs can find them. They have a strong musty smell that attracts dogs.

“Algal blooms may also be present in some farm dams where there are maimais but as these are on private land the water quality is not monitored by HBRC and shooters should check with the landowner. These blooms do not appear as mats, but as floating algae that can turn the water a tea colour or a bright green that is not the normal duckweed green,” says HBRC’s senior environmental scientist, Anna Madarasz-Smith.

Landowners wanting to check for any algal blooms in their ponds can ask HBRC for the information pamphlet ‘My Pond’s Gone Green’.

As it may not be practical to leave dogs at home, shooters need to check the surrounds of rivers and lakes for any signs of algal mats and keep an eye on their dogs to prevent them scavenging.

If a dog displays any unusual symptoms after returning from a river, owners should seek veterinarian treatment.

HBRC scientists advise that cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are common around New Zealand in stony bottomed rivers, even in some of the most pristine water bodies. The algae exist in rivers naturally, but the continuing warm, dry weather and low river flows this summer has provided ideal conditions for large blooms. Mats of algae develop and then detach from the river bed and are washed up along the river’s edge. Even when dry on the river’s edge, these mats can be toxic and potentially a health risk for dogs, stock and people.
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