760kg of rubbish removed from flood-affected saltmarsh

OzFish’s Richmond River Chapter has recently collected 760kg of rubbish along three key saltmarsh sites located in Ballina on the Northern Rivers in NSW.  

As part of OzFish’s Saving Our Saltmarsh Project, which looks to restore saltmarshes in the area following a noticeable decline in their growth and productivity, local volunteers walked the banks of the North Creek, Fishery Creek and Richmond river. They collected numerous debris items which included beds, tyres, bins, plastic and glass bottles, as well as a DIY chicken coop. 

Conserving saltmarshes is highly important in maintaining shorelines, protecting coastal communities and keeping marine ecosystems healthy. Of the fish we target in our lakes and estuaries, 70% of the fish will depend on saltmarsh at some stage in their life.  

The February and April floods brought devastating effects to towns of Northern NSW and South-East Queensland, rising to extreme water levels and causing large number of debris to be washed ashore.

As the water levels reduced in strength and height, floating belongings made their way to the ocean through river systems, getting caught along the way by bushland, mangrove forests, saltmarsh and infrastructure. 

Often referred to as a ‘buffer zone’, the saltmarshes end up storing this debris well after the flood waters have resided, leaving excess rubbish and litter to spoil the saltmarsh and limit its positive effect on the local fish populations.  

Check out some updates below from selected sites that the Richmond River Chapter cleaned up. 

Burns Point Ferry | Haulage: 400kg | Interesting Finds = 8 x left shoes, garden gnome, fishing rod. 

North Creek Jali site | Haulage: 100kg | Interesting Finds: chicken coop, hay bale. 

Fishery Creek site | Haulage: 260kg | Interesting Finds: large air tank, bed frame, suitcases, foam mattress, six golf balls. 

To find out more about this project, or to get involved, check out our Saving Our Saltmarsh project. It’s never too late to get involved in some habitat restoration.