Send a letter to Kate Jones & Peter Garrett [see below for letter text]

 
When SEQWater decided to open the floodgates and release thousands of megalitres from its North Pine Dam near Brisbane, it must have known the results would be disastrous for species living in the dam. Judging by a couple of releases in the previous month, it must have known that many of these would be the endangered Queensland Lungfish.

The most recent release was no freak of nature; it was a deliberate action followed by an entirely predictable fish and turtle kill. Read more...
 
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Dear Ms Jones,

RE: Lungfish (“Vulnerable” under federal EPBC legislation) kill at North Pine Dam

During June this year, there have been a number of releases of large volumes of water from North Pine Dam near Brisbane, following good rainfall. There have been media reports of rescues of lungfish that have been swept from the dam in these releases.

In the most recent release, around June 23, 2009, the area below the dam spillway was strewn with dead and dying lungfish, most carrying horrific injuries. In a small strip of only a couple of hundred metres, more than fifty severely damaged or already dead lungfish were located. Some were found wedged in trees, and marks indicated that the water had been up to some six metres in depth and obviously travelling with considerable force.

Television footage on both Wednesday June 24 and Thursday June 25 showed the situation with the latter showing a belated rescue operation to return survivors to the dam. Surviving lungfish were carried to a utility driven back to the dam and unceremoniously dropped back in.

Official reports seemed to downplay the number of dead fish and over-exaggerate both the efficiency of the rescue operation and the survival rate of the returned lungfish.

I would ask that you:
• Conduct a thorough, independent investigation of the extent of the deaths among lungfish and other species, including turtles during water releases and overtopping at North Pine Dam.
• Conduct a thorough investigation as to whether the SEQWater reports had under-reported the number of deaths.
• Conduct a thorough investigation as to why the rescue operation was so slow to respond, the methods it used to assess the severity of injury and the method of transport of injured lungfish as well as after-care thereof.

Mitigation measures against events like these have to be investigated. This event must be thoroughly and openly investigated.

It is a tragic event for a rare and ancient species like the lungfish and is an event that should never be foisted on the Mary River with its significant lungfish and unique turtle populations by the construction of the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam.
 
 

Dear Mr Garrett,

RE: Lungfish (''Vulnerable'' under federal EPBC legislation) kill at North Pine Dam

During June this year, there have been a number of releases of large volumes of water from North Pine Dam near Brisbane, following good rainfall this year. There have been media reports of rescues of lungfish that have been swept from the dam in these releases.

In the most recent release, around June 23, 2009, the area below the dam spillway was strewn with dead and dying lungfish, most carrying horrific injuries. In a small strip of only a couple of hundred metres, more than fifty severely damaged or already dead lungfish were located. Some were found wedged in trees, and marks indicated that the water had been up to some six metres in depth and obviously travelling with considerable force.

Television footage on both Wednesday June 24 and Thursday June 25 showed the situation with the latter showing a belated rescue operation to return survivors to the dam. Surviving lungfish were carried to a utility driven back to the dam and unceremoniously dropped back in.

Official reports seemed to downplay the number of dead fish and over-exaggerate both the efficiency of the rescue operation and the survival rate of the returned lungfish.

I would ask that you
• Conduct a thorough, independent investigation of the extent of the deaths among lungfish and other species, including turtles during water releases and overtopping at North Pine Dam.
• Conduct a thorough investigation as to whether the SEQWater reports had under-reported the number of deaths.
• Conduct a thorough investigation as to why the rescue operation was so slow to respond, the methods it used to assess the severity of injury and the method of transport of injured lungfish as well as after-care thereof.

Mitigation measures against events like these have to be investigated. This event must be thoroughly and openly investigated.

It is a tragic event for a rare and ancient species like the lungfish and is an event that should never be foisted on the Mary River with its significant lungfish and unique turtle populations by the construction of the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam.
 
 
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