What they lack in size they make up for in sheer numbers. They’re the backbone of more than a third of the world’s fisheries. They are small pelagic fish – small because they’re usually less than 10cm long, pelagic because they live near the surface of the ocean. They’re also known as baitfish because just about everything else eats them.
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Launched in March 2012, the Adopt a Beach program was created to address concerns from the Eyre Peninsula community about aquaculture-related marine debris.
Fisheries Minister Gail Gago said the program had delivered significant benefits to the coastal environment.
“All sorts of things have been collected, from land-based debris such as tyres, clothing, refrigerators and food packaging, to materials related to aquaculture and commercial and recreational fishing activities such as rope and plastic.
“It’s great to see industry playing an important role in the protection of our aquatic and coastal environment, which underpins the Government’s strategic priority of Premium Food and Wine from our Clean Environment.
More Information here: Media release – Adopt a beach
Just a day after three tonnes of rubbish was cleaned up from Port Lincoln’s Murray Point Reserve more residential waste has been dumped there.
Three quarters of the waste the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry collected from the shoreline on Wednesday was attributed to non-aquaculture related activities.
ASBTIA liaison officer Claire Webber said it was disappointing to find a freshly dumped load of rubbish; three tyres, a bag of backyard waste and some buckets, right on the beach where they had just cleaned up. She said tyres were the biggest problem and of the approximate 3110 kilograms collected by 20 industry members, tyre made up 48%. Aquaculture related waste made up around 25%, while general waste was around 27%.
– Port Lincoln Times, Tuesday 23 April, 2013, p3.
Some of the debris collected by members of the industry at the Proper Bay clean up, held just south of Port Lincoln on 17 April, 2013.
Proper Bay-Media Release