Tropical Cyclone Alfred has highlighted the need for action on protecting wetlands in the Northern Rivers as multiple fish kills have occurred following the cyclone.
OzFish and the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC) have said that blackwater and acid runoff following flooding are the likely cause of the fish kills that once again left thousand of fish gasping on the banks of the Richmond River and its tributaries.
‘The unnatural frequency of fish kill events in North Coast rivers is caused by the loss of floodplain wetlands, but government regulations are directing wetland restoration investment away from our state,’ said a spokesperson for the NCC.
The degradation of the wetlands lead to an increase in blackwater and acid sulphate soils. Blackwater strips oxygen from the water and the fish try to escape the low oxygen and acidic environment by launching onto the river banks.
‘The sight of gasping fish fighting to escape the river is horrific, especially for flood-affected communities who’ve experienced similar events so recently. ‘Unfortunately, mass deaths are likely to continue for a number of days, and the worst may be yet to come.
‘This is terrible news not only for the environment, but also primary industries who will once again be forced to confront the viability of their businesses.
‘High rainfall events and toxic runoff will increase with climate change, so we must act now to restore our wetlands.’
Act now
Johnson says that Minister for Water, Rose Jackson, has the power to act ‘right now by amending the Water Management Regulation to reduce red tape for wetland restoration’.
‘The NSW government can make simple, targeted amendments to regulations, to reduce the frequency of these events.’
Ms Price agrees having previously said that she ‘fears that this could repeat earlier large-scale fish kills and decimate the resilience of local fisheries. Urgent action must be taken to prevent further fish kills, and build resilience into our waterways.’
Ms Price said restoring local swamplands that border the Richmond River would reduce the severity of the black water events, and fish kills.
‘Healthy swamp bordering rivers acts as a sieve, or a filter, that reduces the blackwater from entering the waterway.’
‘Restoring the Tuckean Nature Reserve to a more natural hydrological regime would mean that much of the swamp would process the flood water, so that significantly less blackwater enters the lower Richmond River after events like this.’
Johnson has called on the state government to prioritise the creation of a nature restoration SEPP (State Environment Planning Policy) that facilitates restoring natural wetlands and protectign rivers systems, industry and the fish from the future impacts that flooding and cyclones are likely to occur if not action is taken.
Dead fish collection
If residents find dead fish in their area, they can help by disposing of them in one of two ways:
- Kerbside collection Place dead fish in a tied plastic bag and leave it on the kerb. Then contact Ballina Shire Council by phone or email to let us know the location on 1300 864 444 or [email protected] during office hours (8.15am – 4.30pm Monday to Friday).
- Free drop-off at Ballina Resource Recovery Center. Bagged dead fish can be taken to the Ballina Resource Recovery Centre at no cost.
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