We All Need Healthy Fish
Celebrate World Fisheries Day by joining WetlandCare Australia and partners to remove some of the rubbish that is poisoning our oceans, our fish and us. Come along to Helensvale on Sunday, November 20th 2011 from 9am -11am to help clean up an important saltmarsh area on the banks of the beautiful Lake Coombabah.
The cleanup event is being run in partnership with WetlandCare Australia, Griffith University Centre for Coastal Management, Tangaroa Blue Ocean Care Society, Oceanwatch Australia, and Gold Coast City Council. It is one of the many activities that are being undertaken as part of WetlandCare Australia’s $2.5 million Coastal 20 wetlands restoration project, funded under the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program. The Coastal 20 project is working to restore 20 iconic Australian coastal wetlands spanning from Gladstone in southern Queensland down to Kempsey on the northern NSW coastline.
Cheryl Bolzenious, Senior Project Officer at WetlandCare Australia, said Lake Coombabah was one of the 20 important sites and the team was looking forward to doing a lot more work to improve the health of this amazing wetland.
"The saltmarsh at Lake Coombabah is an extremely important part of the local environment, but unfortunately a lot of rubbish gets washed into it from the stormwater drains, and it is vital that this is removed," she said.
"Saltmarsh supports a very large food chain, including essential food sources for commercially and recreationally important fish species.
"Rubbish that enters the marine environment can take up to 200 years to break down, and releases toxic chemicals in the process. These eventually end up in our fish. Fish need healthy coastal wetlands, like saltmarsh, and a healthy ocean. And we need healthy fish!".
For anyone who would like to get involved in this important clean up, the team will meet at the end of Ridgevale Drive at 8.45am on Sunday the 20th of November 2011. Gloves and bags will be provided and participants will need to bring a hat, sunscreen, water and sturdy shoes or gumboots. There will also be data sheets available to record the types of rubbish that are picked up. This information will then be fed into a national database and used to work with industry and government to help reduce the amount of garbage that regularly makes its way into our precious oceans. Please register for the event with Cheryl Bolzenius at WetlandCare Australia on 07 3286 6194 or email cherylbolzenius@wetlandcare.com.au
WetlandCare Australia is the leading Australian not for profit wetland conservation organisation and has been working with communities to protect, promote and restore wetlands for over 20 years.
Download the flyer by clicking here.
For more information, contact:
Cheryl Bolzenius
Senior Project Officer
WetlandCare Australia
07 3286 6194
0438 733 563
cherylbolzenius@wetlandcare.com.au