| Be
The Difference Campaign - Wellington
Letter
to Regional Council
19
April 2004
Wellington Recreational
Marine Fishers Association
PO BOX 26 064
NEWLANDS
19 th April 2004
Ms Margaret Shields
Chairperson
Greater Wellington Regional
Council
P O Box 11646
WELLINGTON
Dear Margaret
The committee of the Wellington
Recreational Marine Fishers Association have discussed the "be the
difference" advertisement that has now appeared in the Dominion
Post page A6 Saturday 27th March 2004 and again in the same paper
on the 10 th April 2004. We have decided that as the error in wording
has been repeated in the advertisement we will bring it to your
attention for your correction.
The advert encourages people
to wash their cars on the grass to stop the detergents going down
streams, rivers and out to sea. We have no problem with that however
there has been an error in the wording that needs to be corrected
as we would have thought everyone knows that chemicals destroy algae,
not as your advisement suggests making algae grow. It is most important
the right message is being sent out as algae in the marine environment
is the food source for many marine specie including shellfish, sand
hoppers, yellow-eyed mullet and those fish that live in rock pools.
The wording we refer to is
as follows:
"Fish and other creatures
are forced to live in these unsightly and harmful chemicals that
also encourage algae to grow, and use up oxygen."
Algae grows naturally in
the marine environment and it is the chemicals we pour onto them
that kills the algae. Marine science books tell us that algae grows
by a chemical reaction from different marine elements and oxygen
found in sea water.
Algae can be seen growing
in a natural environment such as the mud flats in the Marlborough
Sounds, although not very well known the highest yield of mussels
occurs down current from the algae that grows on these mud flats.
In the Makara Stream throughout the inter tidal zone, yellow eyed
mullet can be seen feeding on the bright green algae that grows
on the stones as the tide goes out.
In fact there are many examples
to prove how fragile algae is and how important it is to the marine
environment. Up till now science has not been given the opportunity
to study this environment but I have been involved in providing
information for a major study called "Natural ecosystems" funded
by FRST which should see much of what recreational and commercial
fishers already know scientifically proven.
The misinformation relayed
by this advertisement raises all sorts of concerns for the future
management of our coast, as there appears to be a lack of basic
marine knowledge within the council. We know that Government has
required all regional councils to define coastal areas as Aquaculture
Management Areas. We also know the Wellington Regional Council has
knowingly supported a marine reserve just 950 metres down current
from a sewage pipe that has for years been spewing out chemicals
along with massive quantities of fresh water, thereby destroying
the micro ecosystem that had existed before and has resulted in
a loss of weed eating fish in the area to Sinclair Head. The advertisements
has made it obvious that the regional council have not the staff
to understand the impact a sewage outfall will have on the existing
marine biodiversity, which a marine reserve is designed to protect.
To further highlight the
obvious problem of understanding what destroys marine ecosystems
we have provided a number of examples.
- The Hutt City Council chemically removes the algae that grows
on the poorly designed boat ramp at the Seaview Marina every week,
because of the hazard it creates for users.
- The Wellington City Council is also required to chemically remove
the algae on the Evans Bay boat ramp, to make it less of a hazard.
The boat ramps at Owhiro Bay, Dorrie Leslie and Seatoun Bay have
no algae growth, as we had a major input into their design and
construction and as result they have no algae growth.
- Along the Kapiti coast where the pine plantation has been allowed
down to the last sand hill the shellfish beds are now out in waist
deep water, from the ankle deep water previously. We have found
in all areas of New Zealand without a zone of native plants, the
shellfish beds have been destroyed.
- It does not take much to destroy algae. In March 2003 when the
ground water in the Hutt Valley was pumped down to alarm sounding
low-pressure levels, the next southerly wind arrived and thousands
of very small shellfish were washed ashore along the Petone Beach,
a sight never seen before.
- The adding of at the very least 38,000 litres of Class 8 caustic
every week into sewage at the Moa Point plant to neutralise the
acid build up may be necessary as the plant is not working as
planned, but there has obviously been a problem to manage the
Ph of the outfall product consistently. The massive slick of chemicals
on the surface we photographed can be seen on other days travelling
into every rock pool with the incoming tide destroying the algae.
The loss of marine life in the rock pools of the Wellington south
coast was sited as a reason for the proposed marine reserve.
- One of the most dramatic examples of how easily algae can be
destroyed and the impact the chemicals can have is displayed at
the Hutt City sewage outfall at Pencarrow. There are no sand hoppers
or crabs there any more as the algae that they lived is being
destroyed with every incoming tide by the chemicals being discharged
from a pipe very close to shore. This pipe is also an environmental
nightmare, as it was not built out its planned distance. It became
stuck fifty metres from shore and never went out the 1000 metres
that the application applied for. The Pencarrow beach has been
fished by recreational fishers for generations and produced quality
fish such as moki, red gurnard, trevally to name a few. These
have almost all but gone.
- Along the Eastbourne Road it is easy to see which storm water
pipe has an excess of chemicals discharging as there is no algae
growing on the shingle around it.
So it is not as your advert
suggests "harmful chemicals that also encourage algae to
grow, and use up oxygen." The advertisement is illogical,
everyone knows that chlorine and caustic kills algae on their house
or driveway. Most washing fluids are manufactured from petroleum
by-products, which also destroy algae. The other point that the
advertisement makes is also strange, as algae uses a chemical process
that should not be held up as being harmful or a process that has
to be destroyed as a contributor of using up oxygen.
It is the harmful chemicals
that destroy natural marine algae, the food source for the ecosystems
that contributes to the beginning of all marine life.
It is a pity the marine biodiversity
study you launched for the Wellington Harbour and South coast lost
direction and speakers with marine or inter tidal knowledge, as
micro ecosystems could have been easily covered.
Could you see that the wording
is corrected please as the first step in increasing the knowledge
of the micro ecosystems in the marine environment for not only your
staff but the general public as well?
Yours sincerely
Jim Mikoz
Secretary
Wellington Recreational Marine
Fishers Association
Wellington Surfcasting and
Angling Club
Honorary Vice President New Zealand Angling and Casting Association
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