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What a load of rubbish!
Volunteers from the local commercial fishing industry, OceanWatch Australia and
Burnett Mary Regional Group filled two skip bins of rubbish collected from the
shores of the Burnett River, last Friday. The clean-up was an initiative of local commercial fishers and OceanWatch Australia,
a national not-for-profit organisation that works to promote sustainability in
the Australian seafood industry.
Rubbish collected from 1.5 kilometres of the northern rock training wall included
five sheets of iron, three old crab pots, six large pieces of carpet, a tow bar,
several lonely thongs, and about 30 bags of litter. The assortment of litter consisted mainly of beer bottles, aluminium cans, paper,
plastic bottles, rope, fishing twine, and bait bags, and filled 2 skip bins.
OceanWatch Project Manager Michelle Haase says, “Volunteers were shocked by the
amount of rubbish that accumulates on the rock wall and on Barubbra Island. Evidence of camping and littering is everywhere which is disappointing as this
section of the Burnett River is highly
valuable in terms of its benefits to fish and wildlife habitat.”
Commercial fishers have undertaken clean-ups in the Burnett River before and
are well placed to observe influxes of rubbish in the river and estuaries throughout
the year. Fishers
unfortunately have to deal with the impacts of debris, such as sheets of iron
or discarded crab pots, which can tear nets and pose a navigational hazard.
Rubbish clean-ups in priority fish habitat areas are planned for Coonarr Creek,
Theodolite Creek, Beaver Rocks (Maryborough) and Eli Creek in Hervey Bay over
the coming months.
“The Burnett Mary Regional Group is pleased to support OceanWatch in its efforts
to promote sustainable fisheries in the Burnett Mary region and congratulates
all the participants for their efforts last week.
Sadly, litter and illegal dumping have impacted on many of our fish habitat areas
and it’s great to see fishers taking a lead in restoring this important habitat,”
said David Brown, CEO of the BMRG.
Residents interested in becoming involved in future clean ups should register
their interest in lending a hand by contacting OceanWatch Project Manager Michelle
Haase on ph 0401 890 069.
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