Amazon Frogbit detected in the NT for the first time

The Northern Territory Environment Department is concerned about risks to Darwin’s drinking water after one of the world’s worst weeds was found for the first time in NT.

A close-up picture of Amazon Frogbit.

The Northern Territory Environment Department is concerned about risks to Darwin’s drinking water after one of the world’s worst weeds was detected for the first time in NT.

The department confirmed Amazon Frogbit was found in a northern suburbs backyard, after receiving reports of “a suspicious weed” being given away on social media.

It comes after a similar, separate incident earlier this year in which a Millner resident was caught selling a Class A weed on Facebook.

Amazon Frogbit spreads rapidly creating an impenetrable layer on the surface of water.

This causes a choking effect impacting aquatic and bird life degrading water quality from decomposing weed matter.

The department said the homeowner where the Frogbit was found said it had appeared in his pond about three months prior, during the 2025 wet season, and that he did not know where it had come from.

“The owner has been very helpful in contacting other pond enthusiasts and urging them to contact the weed management branch if they notice anything suspicious growing in their ponds,” a spokesman said.

He urged any Territorians who believed they might have the weed to make immediate contact on 08) 8999 4567 or by emailing [e-mail].

“The last thing we want is for anyone to remove or dispose of it as this would be the worst possible action to take,” he said.

“Amazon Frogbit spreads very rapidly, chokes waterways and poses a great risk to Darwin’s drinking water.”

An infestation of Amazon frogbit in Queensland.

The Invasive Species Council said Frogbit was “one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds”.

“Amazon Frogbit is already restricted in the NT, New South Wales and Western Australia, yet it’s still being sold and traded in Queensland where it was first detected more than a decade ago,” advocacy manager Reece Pianta said.

“As long as people can buy it online, at aquarium stores or at markets, every state and territory is at risk.

“We are urgently calling on the federal government to deliver a plan for a nationally consistent approach to stop high-risk invasive plants like Frogbit from being bought, sold or spread across borders.

“For most of Australia this is an early-stage invader – if we act now, we can stop frogbit from becoming the next waterweed catastrophe.”

Originally published as Amazon Frogbit detected in the NT for the first time