Ex HMAS Adelaide and Marine Parks

[Spiney]

The AAT has handed down its decision to scuttle  HMAS Adelaide after further'cleaning'. Minister Tony Kelly stated before March this year the ship is clean. Evidence was presented by the Government in this case that containments may be present and may enter the food chain but it will be safe as fishing will be subject to an exclusion zone.

Quote from the AAT.


Polglaze also advised ?While the Proponent considers that some localised contamination from this source is inevitable, it is anticipated that this will be largely confined to organisms growing directly on the painted substrate, and those from higher trophic levels which may graze or forage on these organisms.?
?Given that fishing will be banned from the area around the ship, it is considered that there is minimal likelihood of human consumption of any marine biota that may be contaminated as a result of zinc chromate paint remaining on the ship.?
?To minimise the likelihood of occurrence, it is recommended that the Proponent ensures that all fishing, including the collection of edible organisms, especially shellfish, is specifically banned within the gazetted fishing exclusion zone.?

It is interesting that the same government  has for years stated Marine Parks will offer fishers a better harvest because of the 'spill over theory'. One again we ask Tony Kelly as we have asked the list of previous ministers "Do fish Swim?"

[Malcolm Poole]

Spiney,

Totally agree with you, the issue of marine growth, grazing marine animals, fishers being fishers, and fish that do swim was raised many times in meetings and finally at the court case.

However the issues and impacts on the food chain remain unanswered, I suppose it will be wait & see, just like Lake Macquarie (Pasminco Smelter at Cockle Creek which closed in 2003) and Sydney Harbour if some one/department decides to do any baseline and long term monitoring/reporting, then we will issue a food safety warning. Zinc is a little like those dioxins which the body finds it had to process or remove, no pun intended there!

Keep posting Spiney you always raise some great points!   

[CEO]

 Have they sunk this bloody wreck yet? Poole sad it was to be off the Central Coast. Turns out it was actually off Avoca! If not ECOfishers shared facility proposal, has a good chance of getting up. Shared between fishers and divers. Divers di-urnal and fishers nocturnal. That's what the fishers suggested to ECOfishers and that's what we pursued.
                     ECOfishers - making people part of the solution!

[Spiney]

I can tell you now CEO that there will be no shared facility. It is divers only day and night. My prediction is that in the next big swell or the one after the ship will fall apart. There has not yet been a ship purposely sunk in such shallow water in Australia especially in such a turbid position. I have seen swells up to 7 metres off Avoca and the top of the bridge is only a few metres below the surface (the mast had to be removed). In the May-June storms of 1974 boulders weighing many tones were thrown up at the skillion and washed into the haven 200 metres away. It is about about one mile from the skillion to the wreck site.
,Once the ship falls apart as it will, this design is Alloy superstructure on a steel hull then diving will be too dangerous and the state Government will then rescind any diving agreements and close it off. Great you may think we can fish it. No way, already an exclusion zone considers the danger of toxic leakage even though our old mate Mr Kelly said it is clean. Fishing will be banned also. My prediction is that it will be a complete disaster, it is planned to go down on April 13th or sooner if it sinks on transit.

[CEO]

 Thank you again Spiney, for your comprehensive response. Sounds like April 1st would now be a more appropriate date for the scuttling. What's its value a scrap? Or is it just scrap without the S ?

[Spiney]

There is over $1mil worth of metal. The best environmental answer would be to recycle and clean into a correctly constructed artificial reef. You could add a steering wheel and a captains chair so the divers could sit in it. Apparently that is one of the main attractions. Not sure why doing this underwater is different, you can do he same on HMAS Vampire at the maritime museum and it would be a cheaper alternative. According to the dedicated group opposing the sinking there is still vast amounts of lead paint on the ship, a EIS has never been conducted and there is a still a possibility of PCB's. How many times did we hear the precautionary principle touted for marine parks but it does not apply to sinking ships. Why didn't the Marine Parks Association oppose this project? They have divers cleaning up scrap metal in Sydney Harbour?Surely an ex Navy Frigate will pollute more than a shopping trolley?

[CEO]

 Mate, there has to be an EIS under Commonwealth legislation "Dumping at Sea." What about a bar fridge, to complement the ship's wheel amd bosun's chair? No, that wouldn't work either. Those divers have a mouth full of regulator, while "looking - not touching." So perhaps a pool table instead. What a joke! What a waste! Another Labor/Green stuff-up! Two rules Spiney. One for them and one for us.

[Spiney]

I can't find an EIS, there is a Review of Constraints and site selection 2008 but no one took it seriously on either side. e.g. it states "Timing for deployment of the ship is recommended from December to February, when
coastal storms are less frequent, wave conditions are likely to be calmer and interaction with
migrating whales along the coast is least likely.  If weather conditions were favourable,
deployment during September may also be an option, as humpback whales (the most
common migratory whale species along this stretch of coastline) are not usually present
along the Central Coast at this time. "

Tony Kelly anounced to sink it April 13th.

One recomendation  will be carried out " It is recommended that an exclusion zone between 250 m and 500 m (as an indication) is
established around the ship to ensure navigational safety and allow management of
activities within the zone.  The zone would be appropriately marked by navigation aids."
So no fishing 500 m either side, the site is 1.5k from shore.
 

 

[CEO]

  Adelaide to Avoca - tomorrow - weather permitting. (Could be interesting IF the tow line were to part.)

[CEO]

Adelaide at Avoca, 1km offshore. ready to go to Davey Jones Locker on Wednesday. If Minister Hodgkinson thinks it is going to be utilised by masses of the bubble brigade, with 32m of water over it, she has been seriously misinformed! Most of the bubble heads struggle getting to, and staying at, 25m depth. The "bends" is the usual outcome.

[Spiney]

Speaking to some No Ship Action members on the weekend and was  informed there was no EIS done. I also spoke to a Fisher interested in the artificial reef project and was told a very comprehensive and expensive EIS was required for the project. Bizarre in the least that as Artificial Reefs are specifically designed and constructed they can conform to all environmental standards but a 1970's ship is clean? HMAS Canberra  is starting to break up but our new Minister said "that is different". I worked on both Adelaide and Canberra, they look very similar to me.
I have been following the debate and the difference between the No Ship Group and the pro Ship Divers is very similar to ECO Fishers and the Greens. The No Ship group are well informed, present the facts backed by science, the pro Ship group have presented nothing other than the tourist potential. Things can and will go wrong with this project, what price do we put on tourism?

[CEO]

    Adelaide 01 to go under tomorrow, 1 km off Avoca. How the devil are they going to police an "exclusion zone," when blokes (and girls) on surf skis, can easilly paddle to it? Bet the kayak fishers are laughing quietly to themselves!

[Open Oyster]

 Let's make sure Barry forgets to police it. Was to be another Labor fund raiser

[CEO]

  Adelaide 01 goes down and out about 11 am this morning while tens of thousands of people watched. It was late departing the surface because a pod of feeding dolphins were frolicking within the exclusion zone. Whie ECOfishers has the slogan "Healthy habitat = healthy fisheries," perhaps it could be said about this issue "More habitat = more fish!"

[Spiney]

More habitat=more unhealthy fish. With 23.000 sq metres of lead based paint and an unknown quantity of the now banned Zinc Chromate paint catching and eating any resident fish around the site would be inadvisable. Kayak fishers I hope  know better, they would mostly be catch and release for their own good.