AFTER hearing that the North Central Catchment Management Authority is going to again use environmental water to flood the Gunbower Forest for the third year in a row – after the recent record flood – I can only wonder what they were thinking.
The native fish have been largely killed due to the brackish water left in the Gunbower Forest and creek after the floodwater receded.
The European carp have been able to thrive and breed in record numbers in the brackish, low-oxygenated water.
The authority’s proposed flooding of the Gunbower Forest in June can only be seen as environmental vandalism.
Is this an environmental experiment on a living forest that had survived hundreds of years without the NCCMA environmental policy of “just add water” management approach?
The Gunbower Forest should be withdrawn from being listed as a Ramsar site while this mismanagement persists.
Maybe the motive is to develop a feral fishing competition to see who can bag the most carp in any week. We could compete with Lake Alexandrina for the most carp caught on a weekly basis.
The MDBA has access to scientists who may be able to monitor and manage the official recording and publish the weekly catch tally.
Russell Crichton
Cohuna
