SAVING OUR SALTMARSH

Saltmarsh are an important element to our coastal ecosystems and are undervalued for the benefit they bring our local waterways. Saltmarsh acts as a buffer system between our salt and freshwater systems and can withstand the salinity of the salty soils near our coast. Saltmarsh and mangroves work as a team protecting our coast and helping support our fisheries. Mangroves establish at a lower elevation than the saltmarsh. Where there are mangroves, there is saltmarsh only a few feet away. The ecosystem provides an essential coastal resource by reducing erosion and storm protection. Saltmarsh and mangroves also reduce the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere through carbon sequestration.

On 25th January 2022, OzFish Unlimited, Australia’s fishing conservation charity, partnered with a local NGO – Human Nature Adventure Therapy that assists local youths with mental health and behaviour issues.

As recreational fishers, we can share in the joy of hauling in brilliant runs of bream from intertidal waters, maybe dropping a crab pot along the river’s edge, even some prawning in the bay. So, it is worth having a look at these places as they provide the food many of our fish depend upon. Saltmarsh generally describes the place where salt-tolerant plants grow together. These places are intermittently covered by saltwater during king tides (referred to as HAT in the diagram below). Saltmarshes were previously considered to be low-value boggy swamps and wastelands of little practical use to us. So, it is no surprise we have seen many of these areas get drained, reclaimed, and consequently degraded by human activities.

OzFish Unlimited has embarked on a project to rehabilitate the remaining saltmarsh in the Richmond River Estuary. OzFish has partnered with Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Ballina Shire Council to get the project, titled Saving our Saltmarsh, underway. It will not be an overnight fix. The Saving our Saltmarsh project will continue over a number of years, reviewing and addressing potential impacts on saltmarsh and river health. Actions such as rubbish removal, weed eradication, reduction of habitat damage by vehicles, buffer planting and feral animal control will be paramount to the saltmarsh’s long-term health and the productivity of our local fishery.