Security guards will be monitoring the shoreline at the Bay of Plenty's Lake Ōkataina after alleged threats were made online, claiming an invasive clam will be introduced to the area.
Comments online threatened to release the Gold Clam, a toxic species originally from Asia. The species are capable of releasing up to 70,000 juveniles a year, which has the potential to displace native species during the battle for food.
The lake, which is owned by Ngāti Tarāwhai, is now being protected by security, who remain watchful, to ensure the online threats do not come true.
Ngāti Tarāwhai Iwi Trust chairman Cryus Hingston said they will do what they need to ensure the invasive species are not deposited inside the lake.
"Following those Facebook comments we had security come in, and they will be there for as long as necessary," he said.
"It's an expensive exercise for us, [but] we would do that for as long as we can, otherwise we'd have our own people come out, and they'd be willing [to act as security] but they're not trained to do that."
The lake was closed last week on the eve of the new fishing season over the Gold Clam fears.
The Waikato region has already seen the Gold Clam, with the mollusc being discovered in Lake Karapiro in May.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said the clam is now spreading 100 kilometres down the Waikato River.
Lake Ōkataina's owners say they are concerned that MPI are not doing enough to ensure the clams from the Waikato River do not spread to other bodies of water.
"Our greatest fear is once it comes in we can't get rid of it, it's going to kill everything else," Hingston said.
MPI director of readiness and response John Walsh said MPI have to balance the protection of lake with the rights of the public.
"We've got to balance off protection of the lake with peoples rights to use the lake, and we think we've struck that balance with the temporary closure of this lake for one month only so we can sort things out."
MPI said they ideally want to put in a wash station for boats into areas where the Gold Clam is found, but are reminding anglers of their responsibilities to clean their gear after fishing within contaminated areas.
Ngāti Tarāwhai are wanting a certification process for boats to ensure they're free from the invasive shellfish.
So far, there has been no sight of the Gold Clam at Lake Ōkataina, with Ngāti Tarāwhai wanting to keep it that way.
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