The Commonwealth Quarantine Section proposed a quarantine survey of the north coast of the Northern Territory in mid 1983. The purpose of this survey was to visit as many settlements as possible between Darwin and Gove, to liaise with the various communities on quarantine matters, to survey for possible breaches of Fisheries and Quarantine Regulations, and to inspect various anomalies on remote beaches reported by Coastal Surveillance.
It was also proposed to carry out a vector mosquito survey during this general quarantine survey. The survey was undertaken with the assistance of the crew of the Fremantle Class Patrol Boat H.M.A. S. Bendigo while on a familiarisation and anchorage survey and routine patrol duties.
The vector mosquito survey aimed at reviewing the Aedes aegypti ovi trap ( egg trap) program, a general survey for containers breeding mosquitoes, and a brief adult mosquito survey. This mosquito survey augments two other coastal mosquito surveys carried out by the Medical Entomology Section in May - June 1982 and in January - March 1980 which are shown as Appendix I and II respectively.