More fish kills degrade local marina

Another fish kill in Jurien Bay’s marina has reignited calls for action from the WA Government.

Since the construction of the harbour more than 20 years ago, residents have endured the stench of rotting fish washed up on the beaches. While the Government has a plan to fix the issue, it hasn’t been implemented.

“We’re sick of the smell,” Dandaragan Shire president Leslee Holmes said. “Tourism is a vital part of Jurien Bay’s local economy, and unfortunately the current state of the marina is a big detractor from the amenity of the town.”

The kills are caused by toxic water in the marina. The design is such that storm waters push seaweed into the mouth of the harbour, where it dies. Dead seaweed releases hydrogen sulfide, which makes the water acidic, and renders it toxic to fish and humans.

Fish become trapped in the harbour, and suffocate in the deoxygenated water.

“It’s inhumane, and it has to stop,” Member for Moore Shane Love said.

Six years of study into the harbour have revealed the need for a permanent extension to the seawall, which is the property of the Department of Transport. The construction plan has been submitted for the new State Budget.

“Unfortunately there’s little the Shire can do ... which is why we need the State to accept responsibility and fix the problem,” Cr Holmes said. Signs at the marina warn residents of the toxic water.