Pro Buyout And Cleaning Up The Harbour!

[mottyman]

From SMH.com.au today....

Harbour to get $200m clean up

February 9, 2006 - 10:12AM

Sydney's polluted harbour is to get a $200 million clean-up under a NSW government plan that includes buying out commercial fishermen banned from catching its contaminated fish.

Details of the plan will be announced today by NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald, following a government ban on commercial fishing in the harbour after tests revealed high levels of dioxins in bream.

Mr Macdonald said $200 million would be spent cleaning sediment around the harbour at a number of small but heavily contaminated sites.

A $20 million campaign begins this year to clean up six hectares near the site formerly occupied by chemical company Union Carbide at Homebush Bay, he said.

"It will be the largest sediment remediation project undertaken in Australia," Mr Macdonald told ABC radio.

Meanwhile, about 25 commercial fisherman would share the bulk of a $5 million government buyback of Sydney Harbour fishing licences.

Up to 40 fishermen were licensed to fish the harbour, but for some the harbour was only part of their fishery.

Mr Macdonald said partial compensation for those would have to be negotiated.

"There are not that many fishermen in the harbour these days," Mr Macdonald said.

"We figure there's about 25 fishers there, and probably a few more doing prawning."

The NSW Department of Primary Industries measures the harbour's total annual commercial finfish catch at 56 tonnes - less than two per cent of the finfish sold in NSW.

The commercial take for prawns is 5.5 tonnes - less than one per cent of supply to local markets.

Mr Macdonald said $560,000 would be spent on further testing of the harbour's fish, including trevally, kingfish, trumpeter whiting and yellow tail.

Recreational anglers have been advised not to consume more than 150g per month of harbour-caught fish.

Graeme Hillyard, a representative for Sydney's harbour's commercial fishermen, said it was difficult to say if commercial fishing would ever resume in the harbour.

"You are looking at 10 or 11 years before the fish that have got the dioxins have completely disappeared," he told ABC radio.

AAP

Edited February 9, 2006 by mottyman

[Davy]

so about 10 or 11 years? thats a long wait.

[mottyman]

Hey Davy,

Mate, fish with Dioxins fight just as hard as fish without so from a sport fishing perspective the whole dioxin thing is pretty irrelevent I reckon!!

I'd still eat a Kingy or Sambo caught at the heads, we've been eating them all this time so not a big deal for me.

I wouldn't eat a fish West of Gladesville and I'll stick to that rule.

The most important thing is the pro's being bought out and pro-fishing banned in the Harbour and it doesn't look like the Hawksbury will suffer an influx of pros

In coming summers the fishing should be fantastic in the habour and Parra!!!

Cheers

Davi.d

[Davy]

Mate, fish with Dioxins fight just as hard as fish without so from a sport fishing perspective the whole dioxin thing is pretty irrelevent I reckon!!

Oh definitely, i dont usually eat my catches from sydney harbour, so im all good.

[kevvie]

Now i know why i glow in the dark at night.... bloody dioxin