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“This region is a tourist icon of the Southeast and one of the best recreational fishing grounds on the Australian east coast,” says Coordinator of the Wide Bay Burnett Conservation Council, Roger Currie.
If so, asks, Henry Boer, Water Policy Officer at Queensland Conservation Council, then why is the Government ignoring the best available science on the Mary River and planning for this dam?
“The Technical Assessment Report for the Water Resource Plan shows that a large scale dam will deplete natural flows in the river and have catastrophic effects on fisheries downstream,” he said.
The negative environmental and economic impacts for the Mary River catchment and downstream receiving waters in the Great Sandy World Heritage Area are significant and unacceptable. Large scale water infrastructure will not only permanently affect the Mary River catchment but will degrade the fisheries of the Great Sandy World Heritage Area.
The combination of the existing Mary River Tidal Barrage and a new barrier to fish passage along the main channel of the Mary River if this dam goes ahead, will further deplete fish populations in the Great Sandy Strait. As well as impacting the Ramsar wetlands, this will have a social impact on the communities downstream that rely on this area for income from tourism related activities.
Scott Alderson, Coordinator of the Sunshine Coast Environment Council, said the Government has tried to hide the new dam scenario in the draft Water Resource Plan by using the term ‘strategic reserve’. “But the truth is a new dam anywhere in the Mary River Basin will have catastrophic environmental and economic impacts on the entire region.
“Towns such as Hervey Bay and Tin Can Bay which rely on the tourism brought in by recreational fishing will be hardest hit by the new dam. The Great Sandy and Fraser Island are internationally famous fishing destinations, but visitors will stop coming if the fish stocks collapse.”
“The Great Sandy Region is a fantastic habitat for dugongs and turtles, which migrate to the region every year. Damming the Mary will permanently change the natural flow of water to the Strait and upset the natural equilibrium. This spells disaster for dugongs and turtles, and the nature-based tourism industry.”
“Water resource plans are meant to deliver environmental flows and protect the health of rivers. The Technical Assessment Report clearly indicates a new dam would impact on the natural flooding events in the river, with disastrous implications for the entire system.”
For more information contact— Roger Currie: Wide Bay Burnett Conservation Council on 07 31233361 Scott Alderson: Sunshine Coast Environment Council on 07 54415747 Henry Boer: Queensland Conservation Council on 07 32210188 or 0438603541
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Effects on Fisheries of the Great Sandy World Heritage Area
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ourgreatsandy.com Celebrating and Defending the Great Sandy Strait
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According to the then Department of Natural Resource Management (DNRM 2003), approximately one third of residents in the Great Sandy region are recreational fishers and 100,000 non-residents fish the region annually, possibly contributing up to $100 million to the regional economy.
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Urangan Pier, Hervey Bay. |
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