Marj's Musings 44 Fishing Report

A bit of a worry.

Climate Change and Our Future

Words Dr Marjorie O’Neill, Member for Coogee

Here in Australia, as we see more extreme and frequent severe weather events, it has never become more apparent that our climate is changing and posing increasing challenges to human existence. All over our continent, and indeed across the globe, we see unprecedented climate impacts including droughts, extreme wildfires and floods. At the scientific heart of the climate challenge is the fact that overall our planet is warming.

Climate change is real and it is with us into the long-term. Geoscientists monitor climate conditions by taking direct measurements of weather data such as air temperature, rainfall and wind speed, and averaging those over at least a 30-year period. The consequences of climate change include a global average sea level rise of 20 centimetres over the last century, melting glaciers, a 30 per cent more acidic ocean surface and more frequent high-temperature records being set.

While the east coast of Australia has been experiencing record floods, our neighbours in the Pacific Islands have found their homes and crops directly threatened by rising sea levels and more than 60 per cent of the combined lands of the EU and UK are now under drought warnings or alerts. We have seen raging fires in Europe. The consequences of global warming are being experienced everywhere. Here in Sydney’s East we are not immune to the impacts, as we are highly vulnerable to coastal ecological damage including rising sea levels, erosion and flow-on effects of extreme heatwaves on our health, energy, water and transport systems. We all understand the urgent need for action.

It is accepted by scientists and policymakers that Australia must reduce its greenhouse emissions as part of a strong global effort. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the world must cut emissions to net zero by no later than 2050 to have a chance of limiting warming to 1.5˚̊C. In June this year, the new Labor Federal Government demonstrated its resolve to tackle the climate crisis. It committed Australia to reducing greenhouse emissions by 43 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 - a 15 per cent improvement on Australia’s previous target - and reaffirmed a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.

Recently, NSW Labor introduced the Climate Change (Emissions Targets) Bill, designed to deliver a transparent mechanism to provide clean energy and energy storage. Legislating emissions reduction targets is common sense and long overdue, and has been embraced by other jurisdictions. While the new Labor Federal Government (with the support of independents and cross benchers) passed similar legislation targets to cut emissions, our state bill, while passing the upper house, was sadly defeated by the Liberal-National Coalition in NSW Parliament.

The Bill was important as it would have provided certainty to businesses, investors and the community while forging a credible path to net zero emissions by 2050. It sought to guarantee a minimum 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 - a floor, not a ceiling. It would have established a NSW Net Zero Commission to provide an expert-led response to climate change by developing emissions reductions plans with clear actions the NSW Government must take to secure jobs and power prices. It also prioritised the economic and diversification needs of local communities most exposed to the renewable energy evolution.

The science is in. The impacts of climate change are catastrophic and we must act to reverse this trend. The current energy crisis also shows the critical role of governments to guarantee reliable and affordable energy. After years of Federal and NSW Liberal-National Government neglect, we need to restore faith in the ability of government to deliver both a cleaner environment future as well as ensure a reliable and affordable energy supply.

Long overdue action is happening at the federal level. Many of our local councils including right here in Waverley and Randwick are also implementing initiatives to promote energy efficiency, low carbon technologies and renewable energy sources. Sadly, much-needed action is missing at the NSW state level. We need all levels of government to commit on this critical issue, particularly the NSW Government with its range of responsibilities across transport, energy supply, water security and social services such as health and education.

We all have a role to play in reducing our greenhouse emissions, but we need government policy and support. We do not need a premier who has gone on the record as stating that “spending money on climate change is a gratuitous waste”. While the tide is shifting, I don’t think it is shifting fast enough. We know the changes that are required, we know the challenge ahead and we know how significant this action is, and we know why we need to act. We are at a critical juncture in history; we must make sure we are on the right side of it and we must act before it is too late.

A long way from home.

One Very Lost Barramundi

Words and Photo Lewis Kennedy-Hunt

When Bondi fishing fanatic Ethan McDonald ventured down to his regular harbour haunt for a weekday blackfish session, he couldn’t have possibly foreseen what was about to unfold. While drifting his home-made weed flies around, he noticed a sizable fish moping near the surface around the jetty pylon. In disbelief, he identified it as a barramundi!

Like any keen fisho, a barra had always been on Ethan’s bucket list, but a cold wintry morning in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs was far from the lush tropical oasis he had envisioned as the backdrop for his first encounter.

A well-positioned fly and swift hook set followed by a rather spiritless fight saw Ethan cradling a fish that should never have been caught in Sydney Harbour. Oh, and did I mention that it was also caught using a fly rod? Catching a barramundi on fly is a unique and novel feat in itself, even before you throw in the whole Sydney Harbour paradox. In fact, I would be pretty confident in saying that no one in history would have caught a barramundi in Sydney harbour on fly. Does this give Ethan McDonald the unofficial title of Sydney’s biggest (albeit only) fly-caught barramundi?

I know what you are thinking; it is a very long way for a small barramundi to swim from Far North Queensland all the way down to Sydney Harbour. But the reality is that this fish wouldn’t have had to swim at all. Rather, the fish would have been released as a subject of the ancient Buddhist practice known as Fang Sheng. The Chinese Buddhists believe that releasing a captive animal into the wild will bring about a cleansing of sins and good karma. So, in reality, this small barramundi would have been raised in a farm for the sole purpose of being kept in a restaurant fish tank before being eaten.

Barramundi thrive in temperatures around the high 20s, and being plunged into the cold winter waters of Sydney Harbour is the beginning of the end for them. Released barra tend to hug the top layer of water in an attempt to keep warm, making them easy to spot if they are in the area.

Over the years I have heard of a handful of encounters with these ‘blessed barra’ around the marinas of the harbour. I’ve also seen the same practice with a southern rock lobster at South Bondi, which are not normally found in our waters. From an ecological point of view, the introduction of these non-local species is relatively harmless as they are not able to survive, let alone breed, in these environments. However, the practice is highly illegal and ideally should not be done. Regardless, it sure does make for an interesting catch when all things come together like it did for Ethan that morning.

In other news, the winter schools of salmon are in plague proportions on our beaches and in the harbour, presenting a good opportunity to get your arms stretched on a few. Look for bust-ups in the harbour and the big dark patches on the beach and fire out casts with a variety of lures to suit what they are in the mood to eat on the day. Thanks for reading, tight lines!