FISH KILL-Polution hits the Pimpama

[bennykenny]

so ive emailed the GCCC mayor and also every councillor and both the editors of the gold coast bully and the albert and logan news, will hopefully hear something tomorrow, and ill go back down and have another look aswell and see what its like. cheers BK

[bondy99]

bennykenny,

I hope you do ok with it. GGCC would be like police investigationg police. wont get far. The more public outcry the better the chances of it being looked into.

Peter

[bennykenny]

yeah, i went back down to the weir today and the water is almost a flourescent colour, and there is still quite a few dead fish around most of them and dead on the bottom but a few of them have started to bloat, the eagles were having a ball down there, i wouldnt be surprised in the next couple of days if alot more come to the surface and you will see the true extent of the kill

[bondy99]

yeah, i went back down to the weir today and the water is almost a flourescent colour, and there is still quite a few dead fish around most of them and dead on the bottom but a few of them have started to bloat, the eagles were having a ball down there, i wouldnt be surprised in the next couple of days if alot more come to the surface and you will see the true extent of the kill

I thought that would be the case. Lots of fish go to the bottom and die and a few days later they float to the surface.

I'd like to go down and take a few snaps but my headgasket has blown again (5 times in a year). It will be awhile before I get down there again.

Is the fishkill on the brackish/ freshwater side or on the seaward side?

If its the first..need flood event to clear the shit....if its the latter it will recover a bit quicker with the turnover of seawater current / tide.

Peter

[bennykenny]

its on both sides, starting to get some attention from several councillors now, even that they are on breaks, hope to hear from the actual division councillor soon

[bondy99]

bennykenny,

Thanks for the update, that really annoys me , these councillor all make and song and dance as to why they should be voted in,,,you know vote me and I'll be your voice in council blah blah blah and when they are in the buggers turn a blind eye.

As far as I'm concerned thats getting money under false pretences. Maybe the cane farmer who created this disaster is a mate or buddy with one of the councillors...the old boys network. hence no investigation.

I hope you get some action on this soon.

Keep your pics compiled and a diary of events, I have not seen the incident on the local news or Albert and Logan newspapers, you would think it would have.

I''ll send you a pm soon about something else.

Peter

[bondy99]

bennykenny.

I hope you received my pm today . If you get no joy then go the way how it was suggested. Guarantee it as the Local Government would not want bad publicility, especially when the area is also a fish breeding site.

My supervisor said the fluorescence you seen in the water on its own is not bad as it represents the colour or dye marker but its the stuff this stuff was in is the dangerous chemical...pesticide or other that has been dumped into the waterstream, in this case the river by a farmer who does not give a toss.

I have been told they can track the source and pinpoint where it comes from quite easily but as passage of time goes then chances are the person gets away with it only to do it again as we have noticed.

GGCC is not doing its job therefore this needs public awareness with an investigative reporter / journalist. I'm sure the greater Brisbane people would be outraged by the lack of concern the GGCC has shown.

Peter

[bondy99]

I was down at Pimpama yesterday for an inspection.

I could not see any dead fish on either side of the bridge, however, the freshwater shows signs of cynobacteria but on its own is not too much of a problem but the colour of the water is a clue to say there is something not right.

On the seaward side, yeah the river could have been a more chocolate colour as opposed with a slight tinge of orange near the banks.

I'll upload the photos in the next couple of days.
Cheers, Peter

[tuna44]

It's a wonder there is any fish left in there. This has been going on for years at that particular location. I've seen similar coloured water down the tweed, generally some time after a rise in the water which releases that 'aqua' coloured water out of the cane field drains which is generally followed by a fish kill. We have had a number of rises in the past 18 months which would explain the number of kills reported. Sad sight but what can be done with all the farming in the area????

[Ben D]

No ! Surely there could not be a fish kill in any of our local rivers draining into the Bay. This doesn't make sense. The State government has just said "Marine Life is Thriving in Moreton Bay", and its all thanks to green zones. I believe the dead fish must be lying. Well, someone is lying anyway.

From: statements@qld.gov.au [mailto:statements@qld.gov.au]
Sent: Thursday, 2 September 2010 10:47 AM
To: Winning, Michelle
Subject: MARINE LIFE THRIVING IN MORETON BAY'S GREEN ZONES
　
Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability
The Honourable Kate Jones
02/09/2010
MARINE LIFE THRIVING IN MORETON BAY'S GREEN ZONES
The Bligh Government's decision to move towards a more sustainable
Moreton Bay is already paying dividends, new scientific data is showing.
Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said in State
Parliament today that new research indicated Moreton Bay Marine Park's
expanded green zones were showing early signs of increased fish numbers.
Ms Jones said since the start of new marine park zoning on 1 March 2009,
scientific monitoring led by CSIRO was beginning to point to several
promising trends.
"Moreton Bay is a favourite spot for thousands of South East
Queenslanders to enjoy relaxation and recreation right on Brisbane's
doorstep," she said.
"But using the Bay cannot come at a cost of reduced habitat and
fishstocks, two key features that attract people to the region in the
first place.
"That's why green zones were expanded last year to cover 16 per cent of
the marine park's total area, to protect each of the marine park's habitat
types from fishing and to protect dugongs and turtles with the
introduction of go slow zones."
Ms Jones said the latest research showed green zones were acting as a
nursery, allowing fish and crab populations to recover to more natural
levels.
"We expect these levels will lead to greater numbers of fish and crabs
moving outside of the green zones," she said.
"Preliminary results show mud crabs from the new green zones are already
larger and more abundant than they are in adjacent non-green zones."
Male mud crabs of legal size (15cm) were found between three and five
times more frequently in the old green zones than outside the protected
areas.
In the new green zones, the numbers of legal size crabs are increasing,
but haven't yet got to the levels of the original green zones.
At Willes island, catch rates outside the green zones were less than
half a crab per pot, rising to over 1 crab per pot in the new green
zone, and more than two crabs per pot in the old green zone.
"Data is also indicating that certain fish species are becoming more
abundant in the new offshore green zones around St Helena Island and
Tripcony Bight," Ms Jones said.
"The CSIRO and other research organisations are examining the new zoning
plan's effect on commercial and recreational fish species, the
effectiveness of go slow zones in reducing impacts on turtles and dugongs
and the socio-economic implications of the revised marine park."
A survey of 200 recreational fishers was undertaken a year after the
rezoning of the marine park.
The survey's findings included:
*the impact of the rezoning on recreational fishers, in relation to
closure of favourite fishing areas or crowding at fishing locations, was
minimal.
*respondents reported no additional travel costs to access a fishing
area as a result of closures or crowding.
*only one per cent of fishers interviewed reported a decrease in catch.
*there was a strong perception that fishing restrictions were actively
enforced and that the fishers had access to sufficient information
regarding zoning.
"Nature changes slowly, and it's too early to expect to see any major
response to the changed conditions in the marine park," Ms Jones said.
"However, the results from the monitoring program are significant and
point to Moreton Bay showing the same positive changes over time as have
been observed in other marine park areas across the world.
"Most relevant of these for Queensland has been the equally positive
impact of marine park zoning in the Great Barrier Reef."
To find out more about the Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan, visit
www.derm.qld.gov.au <http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/>
MEDIA CONTACT: 3239 0824