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Authorities say 'Gladstone Harbour water is OK' - but nobody's told the fish
Yesterday I watched a convoy of tugs towing barges loaded with dredging spoil past Tannum Sands to the dumping grounds in open waters just outside the entrance to Gladstone Harbour, the scene of widespread controversy surrounding continuing catches of sick fish and dead marine animals.
On Wild Cattle Island, a national park just south of Tannum beach, I saw the carcass of another dead adult turtle washed up at low tide, the latest in more than 200 strandings.
In the past week, local media outlets have all run full-page advertisements from the Gladstone Ports Corporation stating "Water quality in Gladstone Harbour is OK". Tell that to the fish.
Meanwhile, for almost five years I have been writing a weekly column, 'What Goes Around' in The Gladstone Observer. For the past month, I have focussed on the harbour controversy but it has now been axed because of "budget restrictions". All online comments to articles relating to the harbour and diseased fish were removed just over a week ago and since then new articles have not allowed online comment.
All that could be coincidental and I am not suggesting otherwise, just presenting the circumstances. My last article, published in today's Observer (October 17) appears below:
SO The Federal Labor Government has finally had its controversial carbon tax adopted by the House of Representatives as part of its stated aim to save our environment and the world for our grandchildren.
Living in Gladstone, the industrial hub currently the focus of more than $60 billion in planned new resource projects, I find their claimed environmental concerns difficult to swallow.
How can they declare war on “carbon” when just one of these developments is planned to eventually double coal exports here alone by an extra 80 million tonnes a year, which will go to countries with no carbon tax and lower emission controls?
How can they save the environment for our grandchildren when we have large numbers of marine creatures dying and the seafood industry has been crippled by continuing catches of diseased fish?
We all know the official word is that water quality in the harbour is fine despite the massive dredging program, the sick fish are getting better and serious skin conditions presented by more than 30 fishermen and others could not be linked to infected fish or contaminated water.
The State Government has appointed an independent panel of experts to investigate the situation, but the crucial point is that they will be reviewing existing data provided by DERM and Gladstone Ports Corporation. They will not be conducting any new independent tests, so repeated calls by fishermen, local politicians and others have not been addressed.
Almost nightly since the fishing ban was lifted just over a week ago, we have seen TV footage of rejected fish catches including a 660kg haul which was 100 percent infected. Sharks also had a red skin rash.
The pro fishers are forced to bear the cost of disposal on top of wasted time and fuel. Manager of the Gladstone Fish Market Simon Whittingham is now refusing to accept any catches from the previous 500 sq km closure area, as well as Port Alma.
It’s a drastic situation made worse by the spectacle of Fisheries Minister Craig Wallace telling State Parliament about the closure and re-opening, “Don’t blame me, it was all done at departmental level”.
Yes, Minister?
To those who have followed my views and adventures for almost five years, you might not be surprised to hear this is my last column. I’m proud to have helped focus national media attention on these issues, so rest assured I’ll still be throwing a punch or two elsewhere.
‘What goes around, comes around’.
(See also Member for Burnett, Rob Messenger's Just Grounds blog here
and my article at The Punch see here
UPDATE #1 28th Oct new article at Unleashed, Gladstone fish can't read - Read More
Tags: Gladstone, Harbour, deaths, dredging, fish, turtles
Views: 18477
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hutcho -
John M.
From your post quoting the GPC:
"So if the deaths last year were from the floods destroying seagrass beds and the seagrass is now recovering as the GPC claims, what killed this one?"
I asked the question:
Who says the seagrass beds are recovering after 12 months and 16 months of flood affecting seagrass ?
- because every reference I can find is that it recovers very slowly, and probably does return to previous for a very long time. And that's without including silt and metal salts, that is in the Gladstone port.
There has even been trials to plant and cultivate new seagrass, that has been non-productive.
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The question still remains - what caused the turtle death ? Or do "we" (for A.M.) assume the reason.
John Mikkelsen said:Hutcho, your questions above re the turtle. I don't think it's been attacked (not just to be disagreeable) but I've seen a lot of them dead and the bottom plate is quick to disintegrate. Usually they are lying face down so you don't see it, but even the back shell can break down in a week or so. You can see the breastbone or whatever they call it in a turtle, is still intact, its head and flippers are still on. Usually ones attacked by a shark are minus the head or some flippers. Interesting that the intestines are still there too. No interest at all from seabirds - there are very few around anyway, but you can see the loose sand near the head where a ghost crab has been having a close look.
Who says the seagrass is recovering? The GPC claims that repeatedly in big full page advertisements and you can probably find some of their rosy claims on their website under Port Talk or some other media blurbs.
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Permalink Reply by John Mikkelsen -
Hutcho I agree I don't believe the seagrass claims but I'm not making it up, they have repeatedly claimed that (GPC paid ads and newsletters). I have sent the pic to the district DEHP chief asking for the latest numbers of turtle deaths but not holding my breath. Whatever, it is well over 200, there are many more that would not be reported or even discovered. Several times they have claimed what people thought were dead turtles were just "sleeping" or "sunbaking" but not this one or the one in the main topic post, also at Canoe Point. This latest is also where the dead catfish washed up - not as many as on the Boyne side - and I have also asked if they have made any progress in determining the cause of that.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hutcho
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John M.
Not doubting your reasoning, is there any indications of emaciation or poisoning of the turtles ?
Or are there any ideas about boat strike/ship strike ?
As these are air breathing reptiles, it could easily be possible that a strike could knock a turtle senseless and it could drown, and not show any great damage to the carapace. I realise that they can normally hold their breath for extended periods, but after a strike, they could easily drown.
If boat/ship traffic obeyed the speed restrictions in the port, it could still leave damaged/drowned turtles with a strike. There have been warnings issued in other areas about strikes on sea turtles, dolphins and dugong causing damage and death.
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Permalink Reply by John Mikkelsen
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For sure, all of that too. The one they released from Quoin Island (in The Observer story) had apparently had a boat strike, with a cut to the top carapace. But in the latest report from Matt Landos he mentions finding a very emaciated specimen just recently. Some of the catfish were also very emaciated (no acknowledgement to my pic and questions from DEHP (formerly DERM) yet.
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Permalink Reply by John Mikkelsen
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Better add that the regional DEHP boss Don Arnold has responded and said he will get back to me next week on my questions.
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hutcho
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John M.
I suppose you have seen this info on the exact position of the dredge spoil area, at what looks like 10kms out from Tannum Sands. Very precise in giving the co-ordinates Lat/Long and has a ruler measure.
Plus seagrass positions and types, also bottom photos.
http://www.gpcl.com.au/Portals/0/pdf/Current_Projects/Western%20Bas...
I can't see how this could be fixed, as it only requires a boat and a GPS to check out.
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