Fishermen and conservationists blame the state of the marine life on dredging to widen Gladstone Harbour to accommodate carrier ships servicing the booming liquefied natural gas and coal seam gas industries.
© Trevor FalzonA bull shark with red marks on it caught in the Calliope River, Gladstone in October.
Water testing shows a number of sites within the harbour exceeded national guidelines for aluminium, copper and chromium. Experts say the levels pose a minimal risk to marine life; however, the Queensland Government has appointed an independent scientific panel to conduct more research.
View a gallery of photos of diseased marine life found in Gladstone waters, interspersed with quotes from local fishermen and stakeholders.
not really, if you dredge up sediment in a harbor which has been used for hundreds of years and in times gone past there was not the awareness of the stuff put (leaked) in it. I just hope they shelve most of the proposed harbors along the coast for shipping natural resources to two or three.
I sometimes wonder with all the 'stuff' taken out of the southern hemisphere and mostly taken to the northern, no wonder the earth is a bit wonky at times, like being top heavy.....