NEWS
Moreton Bay in repair BY MARIA TAN ecent tests by scientists from the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) across 85 sites in Moreton Bay found that the Bay was “recovering well from recent floods”. DERM’s director of Freshwater and Marine Sciences told SIN: “...water quality tests indicate that dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity and clarity are normal for the Bay at this time of year”. Aquatic plants and animals, including sea grass, coral, seabirds, turtles and dugongs are being closely monitored to assess the floods’ impacts on biological systems within the Bay. DERM also reported an increase in bait fish and sharks around Amity Point, which they attributed to high nutrient levels from rainfall runoff. President of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association, Michael Gardner, told
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SIN he was eating seafood caught in the Bay and had no concerns. “There was concern as to the contamination in the Bay from flood effluent but fortunately all that’s now resolved, pretty much,” he told SIN. “We did have a self-imposed closure, a voluntary closure, on the western side of the Bay for a while, which has now been lifted. “There’s still this raw sewerage issue with E. Coli in the river – and that’s why the prawns harvested in the river at the moment are for bait only. That may change soon depending on what the water quality issues are.” The QSIA president also told SIN that the commercial fishing industry was waiting on mercury and heavy metal test results from DERM. “All I know is that they will take a long time for those sorts of things to come through, and there’s great difficulty interpreting that
sort of issue because fish don’t just live in the Bay, they travel in and out of the Bay and come from other areas as well. “Sediment testing has been done and, as I understand it, there are no plans to actually test seafood other than for bacterial counts, which we’ve done with prawn stocks, and which some of the wholesalers and retailers do routinely anyway.” Queensland Health spokesperson Anna Hanson told SIN that seafood available for public sale had not been caught in affected areas. “We can assure that the seafood that’s available for sale hasn’t been caught in those areas, so it’s business as usual,” Ms. Hanson said. Michael Gardner said. “I think it’s fair to tell consumers that the seafood being harvested in Moreton Bay is quite healthy and they shouldn’t have any concerns about it. We’ve got no evidence to suggest otherwise.”
Guide makes gardening bloomin’easy BY LIZ JOHNSTON oint Lookout Bushcare has produced an awardwinning guide to easy care gardening on North Stradbroke Island. With its colourful illustrations and detailed advice, the guide turns the challenges of gardening in sandy soil and salt-laden winds into positives. It provides information on the Island’s many colourful native plants and the animal, bird and insect life they attract, as well as their fire retardant properties, their best sites and the best times to plant. The guide lists 60 native plants grouped in seven sections ranging from large trees and palms down to native ferns. Each listing has a photograph and basic information on approximate heights. There is also an illustrated list of the Island’s worst environmental weeds and how to deal with them. These are often hardy individuals that reproduce easily and can escape from gardens into bushland, where they outcompete naturally occurring plants, destroy the food supply and
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nesting sites of native birds, mammals, butterflies and other insects and increase bushfire risks. A few, like the umbrella tree, are native Australian plants that have become pests when planted outside their original range. Others, like impatiens are sometimes planted to brighten up a garden yet reproduce easily from seed or stem and can completely suppress native understorey plants. Guides are being distributed to residents free of charge through post boxes and over post office counters on request, and to nonresident property owners via real estate agents. They are on sale for $2 at the Point Lookout Markets or the Bushcare nursery at the Mooloomba Road, Kennedy Drive entrance to the headland walk, between 10 and 12 on Thursdays. Or receive a free copy when you buy two or more plants. The guide has won Point Lookout Bushcare its third Education Award from Redland City Council. The previous two were for work at the Point Lookout Markets.
6 STRADDIE ISLAND NEWS — 10 YEARS OF LIVING IN SIN
AUTUMN 2011