On Wednesday 23rd and Monday 28th February, local oyster farmers will descend onto the foreshores of Wagonga Inlet and Tuross Lake on Yuin Country, for the mass industry led clean-up event “Tide to Tip”.
This is the third year of the event, organised by OceanWatch Australia, that sees oyster growers lead marine debris clean-ups in estuaries across the state.
Out on the water every day, oyster farmers have an intimate knowledge of their local environment, and regularly collect rubbish they find floating in the estuary.
Tide to Tip not only provides a way for fishers and farmers to give back to the estuaries on which their livelihoods depend but helps to ensure Australian waterways remain pristine and healthy for generations to come.
With 24 oyster farms perched on the banks of the rivers, the industry generates hundreds of jobs and is an important part of the local economy. Local oyster farmers who are coordinating the events are thrilled with the opportunity.
Linda Fernihough from Out of the Blue Oysters, Wagonga said: “The Oyster industry clean-up event provides us an opportunity to think globally and act locally. Working in an outdoor environment has its challenges; weather, industry, equipment and other social users of the waterways require farmers working together to keep our inlets clean. A system-wide approach to clean, healthy estuaries gives us confidence knowing that we can work year-round. Wagonga Inlet is a deep, tree-lined estuary which compliments the harvest strategies we use with the shallower neighbouring tributary system of Tuross Inlet. Sharing the two inlets with a multitude of marine life, fauna, flora and our local communities is an important part of the enjoyment of our oyster farming lifestyle”.
Craig Lavis from Horse Island Oysters in Tuross said: “Oyster farmers depend on the health of the Tuross Inlet for our businesses. On a day to day basis we’re out on the water cleaning and caring for the rivers, and this event is an opportunity to bring large amounts of rubbish out of the environment, get the community involved and bring awareness to river health across NSW and Australia”.
This annual clean-up event known as “Tide to Tip” involves 20 other estuaries from across NSW, and QLD. Not only will oyster farmers clean-up the area, participants will also sort, curate and count the collected rubbish.
A summary of the waste will be documented and analysed by the Australian Marine Debris Database - a program run by Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
Since it began in 2020, the ‘Tide to Tip” clean-up has involved over 250 Oyster Farmers from 19 oyster growing regions of NSW and QLD. Together with the help of community groups 22.5 tonnes of waste has been removed from our estuaries.
Partners include NSW Department of Primary Industries, South East and Hunter Local Land Services, Clean-up Australia, Shapes in the Sand, and OceanWatch Australia. The clean-ups are supported by the Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative, which is funded by the NSW Government, and supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW.
