Cleaning Up the Fiordland Coast

Forest and Bird, Issue 314, 1 November 2004, Page 44

Cleaning Up the Fiordland Coast

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—CAREN SHRUBSHALL,

or the second year, Forest and Bird members have joined in a community clean up of the Fiordland coast. Several kilometres of ropes, three large trawl nets and miscellaneous debris were removed this winter between Puysegur Point and Breaksea Sound, some 215 kilometres of coastline. The weather tried its best to hinder, ravaging the coast with a melange of high winds, stormy rain, hail showers and six-metre sea swells. However the project prevailed, recovering about 250 cubic metres of rubbish and waste. Last year, rubbish was cleared from 76 kilometres of beaches from Port Craig to Puysegur Point and this wild coast still looks clear of debris. ‘The rubbish is not only a visual eyesore to the everincreasing number of tourists in the area, but is also considered to

be a potential hazard to the wildlife, according to the organisers. It was clear that the rubbish was not solely from New Zealand, or solely from the fishing industry — much of the debris found had foreign text, possibly from tourist cruise ships or other boats, and carried by the currents. Cawthron Institute scientists are interested in investigating the coastal sea currents, in order to help elucidate the origins of the rubbish. The project is a community partnership comprising Southwest Helicopters, the fishing industry, Guardians of Fiordland Fisheries, the Department of Conservation and Environment Southland, and including violunteers from Forest and Bird. Over the remaining three years the project will move progressively up the Fiordland coast to finish at Milford Sound.