Ocean Watch Australia - Healthy Catchments, Healthy Oceans

Tide to Table – Hawkesbury-Nepean

This program was run over three rounds of funding from 2006-2009 included 23 project sites worth approximately $777,160 invested locally. The funding model employed here was similar to that of the Hunter Central Rivers Tide to Table Program, in that it involved targeting works at sites which strategically aimed to address issues that could, or were, impacting negatively on local seafood production. Most importantly, it included the addition of “social knowledge”- information which isn’t necessarily recorded but contained within stories or the minds of fishers, oyster farmers and land farmers. When combined with traditional knowledge and science based data, a good direction emerged in which to lead the steering committee to commit funds.

Projects undertaken included:

Weed management within saltmarsh and wetlands

Cleanup of derelict asbestos Oyster Industry materials from National Park reserve

Oyster harvest area protection signage to reinforce the importance of using effluent pump out facilities for boats

Supporting Landcare groups such as Barrigal Landcare Group to conduct works involving river restoration

Bank stabilisation by constructing rock fillets at Mooney Mooney boat ramp.

Replacement of five traditional moorings with seagrass friendly units in Pittwater

Development of an Environmental Management System with Broken Bay Oysters (12 producers)

Production of habitat maps for the coastal catchment including oyster harvest areas

Communication activities conducted included:

Production of an educational DVD video

A major field day with oyster farmers of NSW on the Hawkesbury River with Environmental Champion and Best Oyster awards

A bus tour of the Berowra Sub-Catchment and oyster punt tour focusing on issues such as on-site sewerage treatment options for residents and connecting these issues with those of the local oyster industry downstream

A workshop with the Dairy Industry around the upper Nepean River following eight one on one on-farm site visits conducted during the NSW DPI Dairy Farmer Targets for Change Program

A major connectivity tour on the Hawkesbury River linking the issues affecting river users, interested parties and the local seafood sector

Production of the resource by T. Gippel, K. Sachs (2009) Harvest area protection guidelines- Healthy estuaries for healthy oysters (NSW DPI)*.

A workshop for Local Government on fish habitat in Windsor

Assisting with 3 Pittwater World Wetlands Day field trips

Collecting knowledge from fishers and oyster farmers on the Hawkesbury River and the Co operative where product is processed

*Awaiting publication 31/6/09

Tide to Table has opened up lines of communication between the fishing industry and members of the broader community through education and participation, leading to a better understanding of the environment in which industry and the rest of the community rely on. The concepts of sharing and protecting our resource have been well communicated by this programme and it has assisted in projecting the actual status and image of the fishing industry, something which has been sadly lacking from those agencies which collect our fees. Keep up the good work. I encourage all fishers to continue to support this project.
Rolf Norington, Estuary Prawn Trawl Management Advisory Committee Industry Representative, and active Hawkesbury fisher.

Tide to Table – Hawkesbury was a partnership between OceanWatch Australia, NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), NSW Farmers Association, NSW Food Authority and the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority. Works were funded by the Australian Government through the National Landcare Program, NSW DPI - Recreational Fishing Trust and individual contributions of participants.

Did you know?

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
SOURCE: Charles Darwin 1809 - 1882