I recall being sprayed with hand held sprayers as a kid going to Europe (or returning - can't recall which) on the old prop planes that Icelandic Airlines flew. I am pretty sure it was DDT, a white dust which settled all over our clothes and skin. That was 1959.
As for keeping exotic species out of the Southern Antipodes, my father once was asked to testify before New Zealand Parliament against the importation of North American bass. A group in NZ wanted the fresh water bass there to provide sport fishing. My father basically told them this would introduce a species which would compete with (and possibly wipe out) trout which had been introduced from North America and Europe in the 19th century. Trout were, and still are, providing sport fishing to sportsmen from around the world. More importantly these fish are protected stocks that can be used to restock other areas of the world where the stocks no longer exist in such a pure form. Rainbow trout found in NZ's Lake Taupo drainage system are perhaps the purest wild stock left of that variety (originally transplanted from California's Russian River I believe, eggs being carried down on ice on clipper ships). North American stocks have been diluted by hatchery raised fish and varieties from other stream systems. As far as I know bass were never allowed to be stocked in NZ waters. That is a good thing I would say when I see what happened with, for instance, the introduction of carp into our East Coast rivers many years ago. -Tom
