Sydney Fish Kill

[lastworm]

Arron formerly of Windsor Bait and Tackle put this on YouTube yesterday. Surprised it hasn’t been shared here yet, so just doing my part to spread the word so hopefully something is done about this kind of thing.

 

[Bryant fish]

When and where was this bloody disgrace

[big Neil]

Many of these big fish kills are preventable. Most likely somebody, somewhere has done the wrong thing and caused this event. This applies to freshwater AND saltwater environments and is unacceptable. Those fish are not replaceable. I sincerely hope the EPA (pollution section) investigates the circumstances and if necessary, prosecutes, if it is warranted. bn

[Bryant fish]

Hopefully something will be done about it and if a company prosecuted I can remember going across de burghs bridge on lane cove river 40 odd yrs ago a factory always had a milky colour on the river behind it .I think it was something to do with bread so may not have been toxic but looked dodgy

[Little_Flatty]

2 hours ago, Bryant fish said:

When and where was this bloody disgrace

On the Parra. Out the back of Western Sydney University, Parramatta Campus.

[lastworm]

That big EP was what really did it for me. Can only imagine how old that fish was and how many more she would have produced. 

Anyway, as per my comment on the video, I feel like this is the sort of thing they should be showing on the news, not some story about “shocked amature fisherman reel in bulk shark from Sydney harbour! Killers swimming on your doorstep!”

Edited February 7, 2022 by lastworm

[jeffb5.8]

Some of these fish were washing up at Silverwater bridge as well, didn’t notice any Flathead just the bream, whiting and EP.

Makes me think the pollution event was closer to Parramatta.

[XD351]

Still a bit of industrial operations in that area so something could have overflowed into the stormwater system which is dumped into the river . It really is vital that any company that has any sort of chemical storage is moved away from the river - a long way away !

The location is between James ruse drive and the old carlingford rail line bridge , I used to work at a depot on the southern side of the river right there and that whole peninsula is polluted with all sorts of nasty things and I wonder if some of the works for the light rail may have dug this up and it was washed into the river by the rain ?

I think that is the first time I have seen Aaron actually try to do something about one of the many  issues he keeps banging on about - no use making videos telling everyone that WE have to do something about this or that if you are not prepared to do it yourself . 

 

[Little_Flatty]

9 hours ago, jeffb5.8 said:

Some of these fish were washing up at Silverwater bridge as well, didn’t notice any Flathead just the bream, whiting and EP.

Makes me think the pollution event was closer to Parramatta.

One or two dead bream washed past me at Meadowbank this morning. Interesting there aren't any flathead. I've noticed in the upper parra they go quiet after a few days of rain anyway. I did find them lower in the river yesterday though.

[lastworm]

2 hours ago, XD351 said:

Still a bit of industrial operations in that area so something could have overflowed into the stormwater system which is dumped into the river . It really is vital that any company that has any sort of chemical storage is moved away from the river - a long way away !

The location is between James ruse drive and the old carlingford rail line bridge , I used to work at a depot on the southern side of the river right there and that whole peninsula is polluted with all sorts of nasty things and I wonder if some of the works for the light rail may have dug this up and it was washed into the river by the rain ?

I think that is the first time I have seen Aaron actually try to do something about one of the many  issues he keeps banging on about - no use making videos telling everyone that WE have to do something about this or that if you are not prepared to do it yourself . 

 

Yeah I agree with you there, he does like to carry on, and if you weren’t familiar with his videos you’d think he just likes the sound of his own voice. I think he does care, just not very cluey on how to make change.

I’ve since reported this to Channel 7 news, we’ll see how interested they are and if this is enough of a ratings grab for them to consider running it.

[Little_Flatty]

He mentions that we need riverkeepers. We do have them already: Riverkeeper Program | Parramatta River (ourlivingriver.com.au). They are across this already and they have reported this to the EPA.

This is the group that made swimming possible in Lake Parramatta. I didn't believe they could do it when they first started about 20 years ago, but they pulled it off. They are now targeting several swim sites on the Parramatta river.

[XD351]

3 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

He mentions that we need riverkeepers. We do have them already: Riverkeeper Program | Parramatta River (ourlivingriver.com.au). They are across this already and they have reported this to the EPA.

This is the group that made swimming possible in Lake Parramatta. I didn't believe they could do it when they first started about 20 years ago, but they pulled it off. They are now targeting several swim sites on the Parramatta river.

Never knew anything about them !

I would encourage anyone who has  even the slightest interest in the river to take a look at that  link ! It also lead me to some interesting articles on the  history  of the river - just got to search their website to find the links .

I regularly park my truck down under the Meadowbank rail bridge and 9 times out of ten end up picking up rubbish that has been left behind ( usually beer bottles and Maccas  packaging, I then make the arduous  journey to the nearest trash bin - all of about 10 metres away ! It seriously disturbs me that people are still doing this and are so bloody lazy that they can’t put their rubbish in the bin 😡😡😡

[Little_Flatty]

11 minutes ago, XD351 said:

Never knew anything about them !

I would encourage anyone who has  even the slightest interest in the river to take a look at that  link ! It also lead me to some interesting articles on the  history  of the river - just got to search their website to find the links .

I regularly park my truck down under the Meadowbank rail bridge and 9 times out of ten end up picking up rubbish that has been left behind ( usually beer bottles and Maccas  packaging, I then make the arduous  journey to the nearest trash bin - all of about 10 metres away ! It seriously disturbs me that people are still doing this and are so bloody lazy that they can’t put their rubbish in the bin 😡😡😡

It's a fantastic organisation, the Parramatta River Catchment Group. I've been watching them for years and participated in the odd event. Would love to help them out more one day. They occasionally have council-funded paid work advertised. I once looked at one of their job ads for a riverkeeper and I felt somewhat tempted, but I'm just not qualified for that kind of work.

So you're one of the random people who parks at Meadowbank before work! I'll keep an eye out for you as I'm occasionally there. Pack a rod next time and if you're on a falling tide, it's worth a cast out into the edge of the eddy with a 3-inch plastic (need a bit of weight to get to the bottom though, maybe 1/8-1/4oz).

I agree on the number of twits fishing there who leave rubbish, it gets a bit much for me as well and I pick it up as well. There's a few others that do the same. I find most of the rubbish leaving kind are nocturnal, leaving their mess for us first thing in the morning. One of them somehow cast all the way up to the top of the bridge and got snagged there, leaving about 10m of line hanging down. That had to be intentional. 

[mrsswordfisherman]

5 hours ago, lastworm said:

Yeah I agree with you there, he does like to carry on, and if you weren’t familiar with his videos you’d think he just likes the sound of his own voice. I think he does care, just not very cluey on how to make change.

I’ve since reported this to Channel 7 news, we’ll see how interested they are and if this is enough of a ratings grab for them to consider running it.

@lastworm was that Sunrise or 7 News?

[GoldenHourFishing]

Just fyi this hasnt just affected the parra end. Im a regular on the parra and have seen many dead fish all the way up to Wentworth point. I also know of people who have seen many on the meadowbank side. Although the large numbers do seem to be at the parra end. 

 

For those that are wondering low oxygen levels can be due to excessive algae growth and decaying plant matter, So although there is heaps of rubbish on the banks its not the only cause for this. It could be natural. On the plus side I havent seen a single dead jewfish or anything bigger than say 45cms. This leads me to believe its main area of effect is the banks where the smaller fish live. (Im no expert though) I tell you what though I had no idea there was that many blackfish all the way up at Rydalmere, If I had known I may have chucked some cabbage on a hook. 

I wont be fishing my local for a while, these fish need time to replenish. What a huge blow. 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by GoldenHourFishing

[Little_Flatty]

5 minutes ago, GoldenHourFishing said:

Just fyi this hasnt just affected the parra end. Im a regular on the parra and have seen many dead fish all the way up to Wentworth point. I also know of people who have seen many on the meadowbank side. Although the large numbers do seem to be at the parra end. 

 

For those that are wondering low oxygen levels can be due to excessive algae growth and decaying plant matter, So although there is heaps of rubbish on the banks its not the only cause for this. It could be natural. On the plus side I havent seen a single dead jewfish or anything bigger than say 45cms. This leads me to believe its main area of effect is the banks where the smaller fish live. (Im no expert though) I tell you what though I had no idea there was that many blackfish all the way up at Rydalmere, If I had known I may have chucked some cabbage on a hook. 

I wont be fishing my local for a while, these fish need time to replenish. What a huge blow. 

 

 

Good to see they are onto it. It seems like it is in the far upper reaches of the river that this is happening. I'm no scientist, but in my mind, a narrower river = less water = bigger impact when something adverse happens.

I think the presence of Luderick and EPs, whilst not out of the ordinary, was still a surprise for many of us who fish the parra. I certainly can only count the number I've caught on one hand over the past 10 years or so. Given I'm fishing a lot of lures, I would have expected to see a few EPs at least.

[lastworm]

2 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

@lastworm was that Sunrise or 7 News?

7 News @mrsswordfisherman

[XD351]

3 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

It's a fantastic organisation, the Parramatta River Catchment Group. I've been watching them for years and participated in the odd event. Would love to help them out more one day. They occasionally have council-funded paid work advertised. I once looked at one of their job ads for a riverkeeper and I felt somewhat tempted, but I'm just not qualified for that kind of work.

So you're one of the random people who parks at Meadowbank before work! I'll keep an eye out for you as I'm occasionally there. Pack a rod next time and if you're on a falling tide, it's worth a cast out into the edge of the eddy with a 3-inch plastic (need a bit of weight to get to the bottom though, maybe 1/8-1/4oz).

I agree on the number of twits fishing there who leave rubbish, it gets a bit much for me as well and I pick it up as well. There's a few others that do the same. I find most of the rubbish leaving kind are nocturnal, leaving their mess for us first thing in the morning. One of them somehow cast all the way up to the top of the bridge and got snagged there, leaving about 10m of line hanging down. That had to be intentional. 

I’m usually down there between 3am and 6am - depending on what job I have in West Ryde. Sometimes I see people fishing but mostly hooligans - fortunately the cops patrol the area a few times a night .

I do find the EPA preliminary finding of low oxygen levels a bit strange in main section of river , maybe up one of the creeks but that river is constantly being stirred up by ferries , wind and tides .

Maybe they washed out of Haslams or vineyard creek and into the main river ?

Wonder where the first fish kill was ?

[Little_Flatty]

31 minutes ago, XD351 said:

I’m usually down there between 3am and 6am - depending on what job I have in West Ryde. Sometimes I see people fishing but mostly hooligans - fortunately the cops patrol the area a few times a night .

I do find the EPA preliminary finding of low oxygen levels a bit strange in main section of river , maybe up one of the creeks but that river is constantly being stirred up by ferries , wind and tides .

Maybe they washed out of Haslams or vineyard creek and into the main river ?

Wonder where the first fish kill was ?

3am is a little early for me (!) but between 5-6am is not unheard of, especially the times of the year when the sun rises early in the day. So if you encounter a lure-casting hooligan, it could well be me

[GoldenHourFishing]

Official results from the EPA indicate natural causes - https://t.co/6XdGPXwAAY

[Mike Sydney]

A horrible situation and I hope the system recovers quickly. 
 

Re Aaron, you can hear the exasperation. You can find news reports with him on fish kill events going back years and he must be sick of the inaction. St Mary’s 2015, South creek 2017, fracking in the Nepean, current state of the Hawkesbury. Late last year he was in discussions with council on issues with the Hawkesbury and his footage included in a lengthy report by the council chairman.

He’s got a long history of raising these issues with councils, politicians and has generated a lot of visibility to an issue that’s very easy to ignore. 

Beyond lobbying the appropriate authorities and sharing the footage for us all to see I’m not sure what else one guy can do. I applaud the guy (who I obviously have a soft spot for as his YouTube content is some of the best out there).

Props to the EPA too. That’s a very quick and coordinated response judging by how quickly they conducted tests and got council boots in the mangroves cleaning up.

Edited February 8, 2022 by Mike Sydney

[lastworm]

Well, it looks like we managed to at least get some media attention...

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/thousands-of-dead-fish-wash-up-on-sydneys-parramatta-river/news-story/4f4257cfd93ba20d9e1ea131c2100fb8

 

[XD351]

I’m not buying the natural occurrence crap , sure if it hadn’t rained for a long time and we copped a significant downpour maybe I could and what is the organic matter they are referring to ? Is it just I nice way of saying Sewage?

Here are the rainfall figures for Jan/Feb and I can see the biggest downfall was early to mid January so why didn’t it happen then  ?

Edited February 9, 2022 by XD351

[XD351]

12 hours ago, Mike Sydney said:

A horrible situation and I hope the system recovers quickly. 
 

Re Aaron, you can hear the exasperation. You can find news reports with him on fish kill events going back years and he must be sick of the inaction. St Mary’s 2015, South creek 2017, fracking in the Nepean, current state of the Hawkesbury. Late last year he was in discussions with council on issues with the Hawkesbury and his footage included in a lengthy report by the council chairman.

He’s got a long history of raising these issues with councils, politicians and has generated a lot of visibility to an issue that’s very easy to ignore. 

Beyond lobbying the appropriate authorities and sharing the footage for us all to see I’m not sure what else one guy can do. I applaud the guy (who I obviously have a soft spot for as his YouTube content is some of the best out there).

Props to the EPA too. That’s a very quick and coordinated response judging by how quickly they conducted tests and got council boots in the mangroves cleaning up.

I also admire the man and applaud anyone who promotes fishing . I was unaware of his involvement back in 2017 and was really commenting on what I had seen on his channel over the last 1- 2 years. I have left comments on his channel in the past mentioning one particular radio programme and that they do have an extensive relationship with the SFF party and a few Liberal party ministers-   no reply.  I have also seen comments left by subscribers that ask how can they help and no reply  so to me it seemed like some of his videos were just a rant , maybe his way of venting his frustrations or feeling like he is just one guy and no one will listen to him - The movement of a sand dune starts with one grain of sand , it’s just a matter of getting the other grains of sand to follow !

I think that Aaron combined with the Parramatta river group mentioned earlier would be a powerful force that would benefit the River ,its ecosystem , anglers and the general population of the area .

It wouldn’t surprise me if there were similar groups to the Parramatta river  group that are trying to sort out the Hawkesbury Nepean system .

Edited February 9, 2022 by XD351

[Mike Sydney]

1 hour ago, XD351 said:

I’m not buying the natural occurrence crap , sure if it hadn’t rained for a long time and we copped a significant downpour maybe I could and what is the organic matter they are referring to ? Is it just I nice way of saying Sewage?

Here are the rainfall figures for Jan/Feb and I can see the biggest downfall was early to mid January so why didn’t it happen then  ?

I share your scepticism there. Maybe the extra wind contributed to more debris than usual. 
Strange as well how the fish don’t seem to just bugger off when they aren’t getting enough oxygen. I wonder if its like boiling a frog, they just don’t notice the change occurring.