Richmond River Fishers and Farmers united in stance for health of their River

Commercial fshers, recreational fshers, oyster growers and canegrowers met this week in their united stance on the result of the recently released Marine Estate Management Strategy (MEMS) Coastal Floodplain Drainage Project – Options Report (Dec 2023). The document is currently out for consultation via survey.

While diverse in their interests, these industry groups share their disappointment in the document’s lack of real solutions for the health of their local Richmond River.

Collectively they are calling for solutions that will improve water quality and reduce regulatory complexity of foodplain management. The document misses the mark on these key points.

They point to another recently released document as a review of these considerations that should be at the forefront of determining a way forward. The Northern Rivers Agricultural Drainage

Review (report prepared for the Department of Regional NSW, December 2022) clearly identifes the issues and suggests several options suitable for further consultation, which these industries want to see pursued.

Together, Richmond River’s foodplain community is calling for a district change of direction by Government, a call to give River health the consideration it deserves.

Key Messages

1. The industries who depend the most on the health of the river are united in rejecting the Options Report, it simply does not go far enough in consideration of possible solutions.

2. Together, we are calling for the focus to be on improving water quality and reducing the regulatory burden to do so.

3. We point to the Northern Rivers Agricultural Drainage Review as a strong piece of work on the path to truly progressing this issue.