Australian Grayling by Codman at the English Language Wikipedia (Photo: Nathan Litjens), (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Originally published 9th January, 2017…
According to fisheries literature, the Australian Grayling smells like cucumber. Who knew?
Who really cares?
This will determine if it slips quietly into extinction.
The salt-sensitive fish inhabits coastal rivers of south-east Australia. It migrates downstream during peak flows to spawn, where larvae drift into the estuaries. Juveniles develop over 4 to 6 months in these nursery areas, before returning upstream into adulthood.
It is listed as ‘vulnerable’ under the Federal Government’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999. This means that any invasive construction work usually results in a letter to the federal Environment Minister…in a perfect world.
So what could go wrong when a large eco-tourism resort is planned for construction over a floodplain estuary, adjoining a wetland of national significance, which happens to be its migratory route?
Everything, or possibly nothing, depending who you talk to…
Ever since Gavin and Dana Ronan applied for a planning permit to build the ‘Princetown Eco Stay’ resort near the iconic 12 Apostles, 152 letters of objection have been sent to Corangamite Shire. The resort is to have a lodge/cabin complex for 120 people, licensed restaurant, recreational complex including boat shed and pleasure boats, timber boardwalk through Princetown Wetland, a 15 metre viewing tower, 283 space car park, and a waste water treatment plant within metres of the camping ground.
At a public information session held at the site, I asked Greg Hayes of Corangamite Shire why there was no Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) at this location. He replied that there is currently insufficient flood data available. FOGREW believe historical flood photographs is evidence enough.
The meeting simmered along with concerns for the Australian Grayling quickly dismissed.
After the meeting I prompted Gavin, ‘You must be very brave to want to build a resort over a wetland?’ He retorted, ‘But it’s not on a wetland!’ – referring to the building footprint which reflects the boundary-fixated world of planning schemes. It’s not that simple: what occurs on the land, ultimately ends up in the water.
Flora and fauna do not care for boundaries, either.
Environmental consultancy giant, GHD determined the Australian Grayling population is unlikely to be affected by the development, as with the remaining EPBC Act listed species; therefore a referral to the Environment Minister is not required.
If an Australian Grayling could talk, it would probably demand to know why the precautionary principle, to tread carefully when in doubt, is rarely acknowledged in supportive statements. Is a referral too much to ask?
A round table discussion was held with Landcare splinter group, ‘Friends of the Gellibrand River Estuary Wetland’ [FOGREW], having ten years with EstuaryWatch. Tom Scarborough for the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority [CCMA]:
“The Estuary Watch program has been a huge success…providing invaluable data for managers, researchers…The Gellibrand EstuaryWatch volunteers are some of the most dedicated volunteers from across the state”.
When asked if the developer could meet the World Tourism Organisation’s definition of ecotourism, FOGREW chairman Neil Boxshall replies, “I could not even imagine him meeting any of it…There’s just so many cumulative risks”.
Judy Spafford refutes GHD’s claims that silt traps and fencing prevent disturbance. “I have never seen them on any industrial site that have actually worked. Turbidity is going to clog their gills, reduce the light through the water so plant growth, the seagrass [will be impacted].”
She adds, “Oh by the way, we’ve had quite a few fish kills. We did get high phosphorus levels which we took in 2015 off the area at the edge of that site”.
Russell Deppler: “Why would you want to take something away that is actually going to absorb things?” He refers to aquatic Phragmites vegetation. “I don’t think he cares! You wouldn’t put a boardwalk right through the middle of a wetland if you cared”.
Kim Morton: “The Matters of National Significance [criteria] is set up so no government department can be bothered”.
Gavin and Dana Ronan’s ‘Princetown Eco Stay’ website reads:
“We genuinely care about the wetlands, we recognise our custodianship role and it is in the long term interest of our operation to preserve and enhance them”.
Local eel fisherman, Zac Taylor has fished the estuary for thirteen years. His father started the business in 1976. An estimated 50% of his livelihood will be directly impacted.
On a Saturday afternoon at the Port Campbell Hotel, a well-dressed business man seems out of place, looking on with interest.
“It’s just [the] wrong location, especially with the boardwalk – that’s going to restrict my access. Earlier on this year when it flooded as big as it did, I grabbed 3 tonne off there, so you are talking $30,000 worth of income”.
Zac has seen numerous aquatic species in the estuary, including seahorses, but he has only seen two Australian Grayling. “They are hard enough to see as it is; they were more prolific in the 1970s and ‘80s”.
When Zac is told that the CCMA will not be influenced by the developer to artificially open the estuary, he is relieved.
Zac continues: “The bridge is the only high point down there. The road’s under water on both sides, I’ve seen that”. He has also seen 15 metre swells and king tides that occur every two to three years.
It’s not only the fish we have to worry about…
In terms of flood risk, Tom Scarborough says, “The artificial opening of the estuary alleviates the flooding impacts however flooding at certain times is critical for the ecology of the estuary”. Dr. Geoff Taylor, CCMA elaborates: “The inclusion of culverts into the raised approaches either side of the Old Coach Road Bridge will ensure there is no adverse hydraulic impacts arising on adjacent private land. Therefore the natural flooding regimes and flow directions will be maintained”.
Fisheries lecturer at Deakin University, Dr. Ty Matthews, views culverts as a threat to fish. “It’s things like barriers where we put up weirs or culverts that prevent their movement”.
Corangamite Shire granted a ‘Notice of Intent to Issue a Permit’ on the 20th December, 2016. However the Environment Protection Authority’s Neil Faragher in a media release (8th December, 2016) stated, “EPA has issued the company with a notice [Section 22] that requires it to provide EPA with more details about aspects of its proposal”. Over sandy substrate on a floodplain, a WWTP is potentially disastrous. Dr. Matthews comments, “Oh well it probably won’t go ahead I would think. If that water is not treated to a good standard, that puts additional risk to the estuary. On the floodplain that is madness…”
A Wildfire Management Overlay exists at the timber boardwalk location. Mark Gunning of the Corangamite CFA points out that coastal scrub can burn quite hot and quickly, however at this location, ‘we don’t expect high intensity fires’. Amid discussions of fire risk, insurance and liability, a rarely-known deed by CFA for native fish is shared. At an eastern Victorian river during a fire event, fish were temporarily relocated due to high silt runoff and later returned successfully to their natal waters.
Saving life and fin…
Maybe the fish are soon going to need hotels of their own. The installation of coarse wood debris structures and ‘fish hotels’ by catchment management authorities add critical habitat for native fish.
So, what could go wrong? According to local experts, the answer is at the ‘everything’ end of the spectrum, from an ecological perspective. The Australian Grayling will be impacted if construction and resort operations fail. To ensure healthy estuaries are protected with no damage to fisheries recruitment, only then can an ecotourism development be defined as truly sustainable.
Update:
As reported in The Standard on July 4, 2017 (Zwagerman, 2017), negotiations through VCAT with key stakeholders resulted in the development being approved, subject to further amendments.
References:
Zwagerman, K 2017, ‘Princetown resort to go ahead with amended plans’, The Standard, 4 July, https://www.standard.net.au/story/4770433/princetown-resort-to-go-ahead-with-amended-plans/