Thousands of fish dead in lake at Beachmere

[Chris Ryan]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26393255-3102,00.html

THOUSANDS of fish have been reported dead at a lake at Beachmere near Bribie Island north of Brisbane.
Reports were made to the Moreton Bay Regional Council earlier today and officers from the Department of Environment and Resource Management are heading out to the scene.

The lake is on council property at Biggs Ave, Beachmere.

Mayor Allan Sutherland will hold a press conference shortly.

[PADDLES]

g'day chris, my mate's place backs onto that lake/drain. we let our kids chuck a bit of bread in there for the ducks, in the past the ducks had to compete with the bream (there was also a secret stash of jacks in there as well) for the bread, the place was loaded with fish. over the last month or so all the fish seem to have disappeared and we didn't know why. my mate had reported this to council weeks ago to get some water testing done because he was suss on it being poisoned. i guess our mayor will shed some more light on the matter.

[Chris Ryan]

I am keeping an eye on the story as it unfolds and will shoot through things as I see them.

Something doesn't sound right though; I mean a chockers full lake then just disappears and dies. More questions than answers at the moment.

[Chris Ryan]

LATEST: THOUSANDS of fish found dead at a lake near Caboolture, north of Brisbane, may have been killed by hot weather.
Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland believes the deaths may be related to natural causes connected with warmer weather.
Thousands of fish were discovered dead in the lake on council property at Biggs Ave, Beachmere earlier today.
"Our initial investigations indicate it may be due to a combination of natural factors including poor water circulation in the lake and the hot weather, which has resulted in extremely low oxygen levels," Cr Sutherland said.
"The heat wave which has affected many parts of the country has seen water temperatures rise with readings in the nearby North Pine River yesterday hitting 30 degrees.
"At this stage we believe low oxygen levels are probably the cause of the fish kill, but we'll need to do more detailed testing over coming days with fish and water samples now being collected."
Reports were made to the Moreton Bay Regional Council earlier today and officers from the Department of Environment and Resource Management sped to the scene to investigate.

[PADDLES]

g'day chris, i rang my mate after i read your first post and he reckons that people who back onto that lake have been chasing down council over the condition of the lake for over 12 months because it became really smelly. it's tidal so maybe it's been blocked up somehow.

[PinHead]

sewage run off into the lake.
But what do you expect..the EPA does nothing..just look at the water quality reports..and I cannot see them improving.

[Chris Ryan]

She'll be right mate, the lake will be a green zone next and sustainability will be secured!!!

[FNQCairns]

Saw a little on the news, fish are in good condition but dead of coarse, saltwater species, all size fractions and species,water level is abnormally low due to them locking it up for works somewhere. Residents blame sewerage but IMO if it's both...it's the perfect localised man made storm.

Neither as an individual episode should have caused this particular instance if there was tidal flow, although I suspect here the artificially low water level is most if not totally to blame.

Also it's a no biggie just a few fish in magnitude, speedily restocked naturally (with access to tidal flow). It's no disaster but certainly topical.

cheers fnq

[Falz87]

I just saw the end of it on the news,, What was the cause, location and extent of the dead fish at bribie island?

[mookyandlumpy]

http://www.finda.com.au/story/2009/11/24/bribie-fishkill-wake-call/

[Mrs Ronnie H]

Hi all
I live in Beachmere and over the past months there has been alot of work going on at the lake. I don't know specifically what they have been doing but there are large pipes and lots of excavators.
It looks to me as they are trying to improve the water flow in and out of the lake but i don't know this for sure.
It is always pretty smelly down that part as the other side of the road from the lake is all swampy. I can only describe the inlet to the lake as a smelly drain. We have all fished in there for years but since it has been developed on both sides there is not alot of area left to enjoy the lake at all.

In the reports did council mention anything of the recent excavations/works being carried out.
Perhaps this may have something to do with the dying fish, poor oxygen levels etc--- If the inlet has been blocked and it is not being fed by fresh water then perhaps this may be of concern.

Chris i like your Aussie way of thinking-- she'll be right mate. --Only as few dead fish and its only a little lake. Yeh right-- doesn't matter-- just like the sea grasses for the new north harbour-- they don;t hold any value either.

Ronnie

[Falz87]

so its not bribie, its beachmere..has it had affect on caboolture river? i didnt know there was a sewage pumping station on beachmere.

[PinHead]

Ronnie..we have green zones..all will be good..just ask your local greenie.

[Chris Ryan]

Hi all
I live in Beachmere and over the past months there has been alot of work going on at the lake. I don't know specifically what they have been doing but there are large pipes and lots of excavators.
It looks to me as they are trying to improve the water flow in and out of the lake but i don't know this for sure.
It is always pretty smelly down that part as the other side of the road from the lake is all swampy. I can only describe the inlet to the lake as a smelly drain. We have all fished in there for years but since it has been developed on both sides there is not alot of area left to enjoy the lake at all.

In the reports did council mention anything of the recent excavations/works being carried out.
Perhaps this may have something to do with the dying fish, poor oxygen levels etc--- If the inlet has been blocked and it is not being fed by fresh water then perhaps this may be of concern.

Chris i like your Aussie way of thinking-- she'll be right mate. --Only as few dead fish and its only a little lake. Yeh right-- doesn't matter-- just like the sea grasses for the new north harbour-- they don;t hold any value either.

Ronnie

Was trying unsuccessfully to be sarcastic. Sorry Ronnie.

[Macca11]

Low dissolved oxgyen concentration and high water temps = dead fish!

[Dicko]

Low dissolved oxgyen concentration and high water temps = dead fish!


Exactly, and while not to trivialise it. It's been happening for ever to shallow land locked bodies of water.

Not suprisingly, I see the finger pointed at global warming on the news tonight ::)

[tunaticer]

I have been a regular there targetting "fish" for the past ten yrs, 3 weeks ago it was decidely "off" and smelled stagnant as if it hasnt had any flush of new water for a month or so. I didnt fish it then and probably wont return in the near future either. Funny thing is though, it never indicated to me whilst i was there that sewerage was any part of the problem.

[PADDLES]

the pipes/inlet/outlet at the northern end (these go under the old fogies home and lead up to the drain behind the caravan park) had been blocked and the council eventually fixed them after a bit of public complaint. council have been working on the pumping station, i think it's a rising main, down at the southern end at kunde street for a while now. i wouldn't be surprised if there was a spill of some sort down there, they've been trying to contain/pump out their worksite but it's sometimes hard to get everything especially if we get hit with a good downpour like we got last tuesday. either way, it looks like something has gone in there and poisoned the joint which isn't good.

[Mrs Ronnie H]

Hi Chris

No appology necessary---- I thought thats what you intended; a little sarcasm.
I am sorry too--I was having a shot at things as well.

LOL
Ronnie

[Luc]

From a report by Dr Ben Diggles ( DigsFish Services Pty Ltd)

Luc

COMMENTS:

This fish kill is considered suspicious and is certainly not a “natural event”. The various species of fish and crabs observed were displaying behavioural signs typical of aquatic animals suffering from oxygen deprivation – ie. Erratic swimming near the surface with mouths at the air/water interface, congregation near the waters edge and jumping out of the water onto the bank. One moribund mullet that jumped out onto the bank was grossly examined for ectoparasites and a negative result was obtained. In the absence of a functioning calibrated oxygen meter I was unable to confirm the actual oxygen levels in the lake water or in the water coming from the pipe originating from the construction site. The water colour, in the lake was dark, but this is not unusual in coastal lakes in this area where a certain amount of tannin staining can occur. Low algal cell counts in water samples taken from the lake suggest that while algae are undoubtedly present, it appears unlikely that a significant algal bloom is occurring at this time. However, the behaviour of the surviving fish observed between 8.00 pm to 8.50 pm is notable. There were no live fish moving in the area immediately adjacent to site 1 where the water from the construction site was entering the southern end of the lake. Instead, the vast majority of the surviving small mullet were congregated further north along the eastern bank at sites D and E, where water temperatures and salinities were actually higher (29.3°C, 28.6 ppt). This strongly suggests that high water temperatures are not the primary cause of the kill, as the effluent ground water coming out of the pipe at site 1 was only 24.2°C, markedly cooler than the rest of the lake, and its salinity was only 15 ppt. Physical parameters of water dictate that cooler, less saline water can hold more oxygen than warm, salty water. But the surviving fish were avoiding the cooler, less saline water in this lake.

Fish when presented with temperature , salinity and oxygen gradients will move to areas most favourable to their survival. If warm water was the problem, the fish would be expected to avoid the hottest water, and instead would be expected to prefer the south end of the lake where the water is cooler and less saline (both conditions would favour higher oxygen levels under normal conditions). Instead, it was apparent that the surviving fish were avoiding the area surrounding the pipe outflow and actually preferred the hotter upwind (eastern) side of the lake further north. The prevailing east north east wind was pushing the effluent groundwater along the west side of the lake, as evidenced by the lower temperature and salinity readings on the west side. These physiochemical data and observations of behavior of affected fish strongly suggest the effluent groundwater is toxic to aquatic life and/or devoid of oxygen, the latter possibility supported by the pungent and distinctive hydrogen sulphide odour that is emanating from the effluent water from the pipe.

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is produced by bacteria in oxygen depleted (anoxic) conditions. It is particularly common in groundwater and can be very toxic to fish. Hydrogen sulphide is commonly found in mangrove muds and when disturbed will become oxidized. The consequent drop in pH can lead to the mobilization of heavy metals. Recommended guidelines for H2S in water used for rearing fish is less than 0.003 mg/L., with detection of any level of H2S considered highly undesirable (Australian and NZ National water quality guidelines, 2000)

While algal blooms (and associated algal toxins) due to nutrient enrichment from the effluent groundwater must be considered in the differential diagnosis as to the cause of the kill, I suggest that around 2 weeks (based on testimony of local residents) of draining ground water from the adjacent construction site into the southern area of the lake at a rate of 2 litres per second (7200 L/hr or 172,800 L/day) has introduced significant amounts of highly toxic H2S into the small, relatively shallow, but previously highly productive lake. The presence of the H2S (as indicated by its distinctive smell, which has been identified by local residents who have probably mistaken the rotten eggs smell for sewage), strongly suggests that the groundwater itself is anoxic, and probably toxic to aquatic life. This appears a more plausible explanation for the fish kill than high water temperatures and/or an algal bloom, considering the relatively low algal cell count in the water and especially considering that the surviving fish are actively avoiding the cooler southern area of the lake where the ground water inflow is occurring.
file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/David/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpgBen Diggles, PhD.

[lampuki]

Thanks luc.

i will need to google this ben diggles fellow.

WOW, what a difference this story is to the ones i saw in the media. And here i was thinking it was carbon emmissions. it really annoys me whe how the media blur GW and AGW,and the way they immediatley suggest that any abnormal environmental observation is cuased by gw or worst still agw.

ECO fishers, might be worth contacting this guy?

[PADDLES]

it really annoys me more lampuki, that our mayor can come onto the tv and tell us that it was warm water when it was really poor construction practises and his council's lack of regulation/inspection that allowed this to happen. whether it was a contractor or the council doing the work, the council are responsible for the practises/methods on site. now i do a little bit of site work here and there and i do NOT! know of any construction site that is allowed to discharge their ground water into an adjacent waterway. i think mr sullivan is chucking a red herring out there to try and get the media off the council's scent. i'd be very interested to hear what the EPA's take is on this. deploy the ecofishers i reckon.

[bluefin59]

I see on the fishing world web site they have footage of the council or contractors pumping god only knows what into the lake directly ,what a digrace this is certainly not allowed by anybody . If you or i where caught discharging this sort of muck into an area like this the E.P.A would be all over you like a rash ,someone is going to get kicked hopefully for this disgrace ...matt

[FNQCairns]

Fairly incredible scenario as it crosses and adds to so much of what is our sickness over the Marine environment.

We have a fairly crumby lake, housing with lawn right onto it's perimeter with all things domestic/human happening, it has what looks like constricted tidal access even at the best of times, it has localised Angling pressure. Yet it was teeming with fish life of all size fractions, species, drop dead healthy:) (sorry) -no sores and quite fat.

Guaranteed many casual Anglers have either turned their noses up fishing that spot or done it half heartedly with low expectation but they where wrong.

Yet that lake because of its very position and type would be one of the most seriously at risk marine environments to be found in Australia, if not the most.

By contrast what does this say about the state of the rest of our Australian marine environment and of coarse the stocking levels...if we could see down like we can see across say a savannah many would have much calmer nerves.

IMHO it does a lot to cut through the popular crap on what really is the state of our marine environments.

cheers fnq

[shayned]

Probably not fair to be throwing brickbats at this particular Mayor, he is known to be a passionate and active fisho with a good track record on supporting fisheries. No doubt he was just as annoyed as the rest of us when he learned of what happened at Beachmere. In terms of the press statement I would guess that he was simply working off of the information supplied to him when preparing it and not looking for a cover up as suggested.

The real damage here is the fact that a nice little nursery/fishery is now out in the public domain and will no doubt become "loved" to death, if any fingers should be pointed it should be at whoever went running to the media, apparently to protect the fish in the first place? Either they didn't think too hard about the possible results of their actions or they didn't really care about the fishery in the first place and just used it as an excuse to do some council bashing.

There is a simple procedure to follow when these things occur and if they weren't getting any joy that way a call to the local councillor should have achieved the same thing.

[Sea-Dog]

And now - A case of biting the hand that feeds you.

A media release on the Qld Greens website.

Interesting to note that they too are quoting Ben Diggles. :-/

http://qld.greens.org.au/beachmere-fish-kill-reflects-government-irresponsibility-on-water-pollution

Beachmere fish kill reflects government irresponsibility on water pollution

media release sent 25 November 2009
The Greens are sick of governments at all levels blaming the weather or
seasonal events for fish kills in SEQ waterways when irresponsible
effluent disposal practices and poor catchment management are primarily at
fault.

This has been seen most recently in the fish kill at the Biggs Ave lake at
Beachmere where the Moreton Bay Regional Council and the EPA are blaming hot
weather for the kill.

Greens spokesperson Dr Libby Connors said a report from a scientist on the
spot, Dr Ben Diggles, has targeted the groundwater effluent from a local
construction site being pumped into the lake as the villain. The water has
been pumped into the lake over the last two weeks.

"This water smells strongly of hydrogen sulphide, a pollutant common in
groundwater and toxic to fish and, in this case, mistaken for sewage by
local residents," Dr Connors said.

"Yesterday's lazy analysis by government officers has provided an easy way
out for the local council who have treated the lake as a dumping ground for
their polluted water.

"The hydrogen sulphide smell alone should have alerted them to the danger
of this effluent and caused them to look for a safer method of disposal.

"It is this sort of mentality by both State and Local governments that has
caused the quality of SEQ waterways to deteriorate so badly over the last
few years, with many getting an F rating."

Dr Connors is calling on the State Government to prosecute the Moreton Bay Regional
Council for causing environmental harm.

Contact: Dr Libby Connors 0429 487 110

[PADDLES]

hi shayned, i wasn't necessarilly having a go at him personally. i fully realise that he was not personally responsible, but part of his job description is that he is accountable for the actions, or inaction as the case may be, of the council. as such he is the person we can throw the brickbats at, i can assure you he will be kicking the @rses of people down the tree.

i disagree on the "going public" thing too, something like a fish kill was always going to go public considering the complete lack of action by the authorities on the decline in water quality of our estuaries over the decades. this was never going to be a hush hush job that they'd be just talking about up at the pub, it was always going to be on the public record and shoved firmly up the date of the local council who have let this happen.

g'day sea dog, we shouldn't adopt the "us and them" attitude with the greens on these pollution matters. they are actually very professional in their approach and it's heartening to see that they are maybe not as "tied up" politically as people may think. as i have said in other posts, we as responsible anglers and boaties have got very similar goals to the more "mainstream" greens and clean water is one of these goals.

[shayned]

I have to disagree with you on the public think, any number of fish kills in a year never make it into the mainstream press, I can think of 5 instances in my local area over the last 3 years which never made it. So I don't think you can make a broad sweeping statement saying that it was going to happen anyway. These items only become news when someone pushes that particular barrow.

There are times where this is necessary, unfortunately I don't believe this was one of those times, as potentially, the long term result for this nursery/fishery will be a lot worse than a one time fish kill.

However, I do agree about the water quality issue, only I would prefer that it was fishos setting and running that agenda. Also putting some on ground work in as well would be good to see. After all, every fishery to some degree relies on the quality of our catchments.

[4x4frog]

UPDATE.....................

here's the latest.
Was there ever any danger they'd find no sewage problem with the fish kill .
It would have been a better idea for a private authority to have collected samples at the same time the govt lab did and ran their own testing.
The green dept would never find against the govt!!!>:(

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/fish-suffocated-in-council-dam-20091215-kt1z.html

[PADDLES]

surprise surprise ....................

[FNQCairns]

See post number 8, seriously why does it almost always have to be anything else? I understand the urban catch cry of poisons everywhere even to the point of the very clean air we breath these days (carbon).....very very very rare in Australia outside of dramatics is something truly and unnaturally toxic, perfect storms do happen. naturally and locally, every organism has it's own survivable range when confronted with environmental change this was nothing more than outside of that range...for reasons that shouldn't have existed but they did.

More to the point now, if Dad with young one fred in tow caught and kept a 1 cm undersized bream (even accidentally, some anglers even would want their hide) from that pond they would have been fined, what's the potential revenue value added toward all those undersized and over bag limit fish extinguished??

If a person cuts through the ideology IMO ECO with a more moderately worded push-should now jump right on this, as it was not a natural event (still? and water level?). The full extent of a fishery was in the medium term eliminated from Anglers and the council (or whoever) that artificially and purposefully lowered the water level to lethal did much more than just take a do no harm few undersized fish they wiped out an entire fishery!

I know I would be held financially accountable if i took a fish from there, someone now needs to be and held in law to the same fishery's regulation/epa regulation ideology that a man on the street would have been...it's right and fair and for the future.

Otherwise what are we good for??!

cheers fnq