Mining and fish stocks

Talk about bungled boat ramps, net buybacks, marine no-go zones, mining disasters etc here.
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simmo60
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by simmo60 »

What a crock! I'd like to know how many NT fishos just duck over to USA to drop a line. How about keeping it local Mate instead of starting a thread that has nothing to do with what happens here. Australia are a lot more stringent with environmental care - especially when it comes to heavy industry, including mining. Ignorant and illegal pro and recreational fishers pose much more of a threat to our local fishery than mining.
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Matt Flynn
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by Matt Flynn »

Ignorant and illegal pro and recreational fishers pose much more of a threat to our local fishery than mining.


If you believe that then perhaps you also believe in the tooth fairy. Just the effect of nature alone has a bigger effect on fish stocks than fishing, add to a bad season the contamination and habitat destruction from mining and the potential is obvious.

Catch a few fish and the rest will breed up again, but wreck their habitat and you won't see them again, fishos or no fishos.

And given the problems at the Edith and McArthur mines, and ongoing issues at Rum Jungle, I assume you are having a joke about the great local regulation of mining.

Have a look also at the recent changes to water allocation on the Roper catchment.
simmo60
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by simmo60 »

Don't know much about what is happening at mines here. All I'm saying is we need to keep it local. I'm as worried about the state of local fishing as the next person, but how about posting links that are relevant to our location and making locals aware of your concerns.
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by Smudge »

Dissagree Simmo60

The point is we don't need to make the same mistakes as others. We should be looking elswhere and see what is 'best' and 'worse' practice and get it right.

Matt is right, and I have worked up here in the environmental industry long enough to tell, that we have so many legacy issues that we should know better by now.

Our trusted governments and regulators do not look hard enough at the possible environmental impacts but focus on the social and economic outcomes and often these eventually run out leaving behind years of slow but deadly impacts.

There are literally hundreds of old mine sites across the Territory that will continue to leach heavy metals and acid mine drainage into our rivers and oceans whilst ever the rain falls into them. Combine this with land clearing, water table lowering, siltation.....do I need to go on!

When will we learn that when we cut down the last tree and catch the last fish that we can't eat money.

I'll get off my soap box now and take a chill pill :drinking3:
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seano
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by seano »

totally agree Smudge.
simmo60
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by simmo60 »

I agree 100% Smudge. We've been looking at best and worst for 100 years and still making the same mistakes. All I'm saying is (once again) let the locals know whats happening here. I've only been in the NT a short while and have heard nothing about any of this Enviro damage that you guys are talking about at these mines so I can't have an opinion on that. But I've seen mine damage in the USA, a comeback in salmon numbers in Great Britain etc. What about ghost nets, habitat destruction and and illegal fishing in our backyard? Maybe we should include some local stuff in the scary stuff links. Just a suggestion. The Hadron Collider doesn't really interest me lol.
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Gagey
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by Gagey »

Surely your not going to let it stop there mr Flynn.
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by nomad »

Fight behind the sheds this arvo!

Geez simmo, youve let it slip that you are one of those blow-in southerners with strange ideas. Now get ready for a flogging :)
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Matt Flynn
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by Matt Flynn »

Apologies if I sounded narky, but any sort of mass habitat destruction is a sore point, be it mining or agriculture. The effect on rivers when it goes wrong can be devastating and long term.

Unfortunately, the infinitely sustainable income and enjoyment from clean rivers seems to be ignored when a mining company comes along and says it can make a quick buck.

And then the community picks up the damages tab after the mining company walks.

Needs to be stricter management and larger bonds put in place to pay for the closure and rehab of mines.

Clean rivers should be treasured assets.

End of rant.
simmo60
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by simmo60 »

Agree agree agree. And in response to Jedi - been here long enough to know how to talk to locals - ssslllloooowwwllyyyy. LOL. All mining operators should be made to make an ongoing regular payment towards their upkeep and rehabilitation depending on profits, growth etc. If they can make royalty payments to a small percentage of the population they should be made to make restoration and maintenance payments so all australians can benefit from a clean environment.
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troamaru
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by troamaru »

wait until people find out how much of a mess Ranger Uranium mine is :mrgreen: That's an ecological disaster waiting to happen.
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Scottie5.3
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Re: Mining and fish stocks

Post by Scottie5.3 »

I've heard stories of ranger and apparently it is already a mess, rains flood the tailings dams and god knows how much has been lost over the walls.
There's mines that won't rehabilitate due to going broke, I honestly think we need to have the strictest rules around if we want a future for the next generations.
Even inpex, we don't know what damage they are actually doing until it's done.
Too bad nature doesn't have a dollar value.
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