Michael Richardson MP
Shadow Minister for The Environment
Iemma Government inaction has created another major environmental problem in Sydney’s waterways after the noxious seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia was found to have spread to Brisbane Water, Shadow Minister for the Environment Michael Richardson said today.
“After wiping out fishing grounds in Pittwater, this giant mutant seaweed has now moved on to Brisbane Water because the Government has failed to act,” Mr Richardson said.
“Potentially, this is a bigger environmental disaster than the Sydney Harbour dioxins.
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“What was a one hectare infestation in Pittwater four years ago has become a 100 hectare infestation.
“Half the commercial fishing grounds in Pittwater have now been closed, and just this month the Government has admitted the seaweed has spread to the Central Coast.
Caulerpa replaces the seagrasses which form a vital habitat for fish and crustaceans and supports nothing but itself – even sea urchins won’t eat it.
“Two years ago I warned the Government of the dangers of sitting on its hands – those warnings were ignored.” Mr Richardson said.
“The Government’s approach has been exactly the same as with the dioxins in Homebush Bay – do nothing. Unfortunately the consequences have been equally dire.
“Fishermen unable to work in Sydney Harbour because of the dioxin contamination have until now been able to fish in Pittwater and the Hawkesbury through their Region 5 fishing licences.
“Now even these areas are being closed off to them. In simple terms, fishermen are now facing a complete lock out from Sydney.
“The Iemma Government has to start spending some real money on dealing with this problem before it destroys NSW’s bays and estuaries,” Mr Richardson said.
“And immediate action is necessary before caulerpa takes hold in Brisbane Water.
“It’s not as if caulerpa couldn’t have been controlled. Caulerpa was discovered in Adelaide’s West Lakes and Port River a couple of years after NSW and it has been 97 per cent eradicated – thanks to swift, decisive action by the South Australian Government.
“The Government must also review its overall control and eradication strategy, including investigating replacing moorings with seagrass friendly moorings throughout Sydney.”
Caulerpa taxifolia was first discovered in NSW in Port Hacking in 2000 and has since spread to Botany Bay, Lake Conjola, Burrill Lake, Narrawallee Inlet, and Lake Macquarie as well as Pittwater and now Brisbane Water.
The “mutant strain” of caulerpa that was developed in the Wilhelmina Zoo in Stuttgart grows up to three metres in length and dominates everything on the sea floor. It infested 130 square km of the Mediterranean and has also been found off Southern California. It is inedible to just about every known sea animal, including sea urchins.
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