Snapper frames dumped in Richmond waterway
About 10 snapper frames were dumped off a bridge on Kāreti Drive. Photo: Sara Hollyman.
Local residents were disgusted to see around 10 snapper frames dumped in a Richmond waterway last week.
A concerned resident contacted Waimea Weekly on Tuesday about the dumped carcasses that had been thrown off Kareti Bridge at the edge of Templemore Pond in Richmond.
Tasman District Council communications officer Tim O’Connell says similar issues have been encountered in Pōhara recently as well.
“We appreciate the overall intentions may have been to get rid of fish waste while also feeding wildlife in the waterway, but the advice we’d offer is to avoid throwing quantities of fish frames, especially the number estimated by the resident, into Templemore Pond.
“We have encountered a similar issue in Pōhara recently with fish frames and filleting waste being thrown into a nearby creek.”
Neighbours have complained about gulls going into the water and lifting out the fish waste and then dropping them around adjacent properties. This can also present a potential problem at Templemore Pond.
“As well as this, dumped fish frames can negatively affect the ecology of small waterways.Templemore Pond is connected to Reservoir Creek which flows out to the Waimea Estuary, but it’s generally a low-flow waterway so most of what gets thrown into the pond will take some time to shift.”
There is little dilution, which is likely to affect dissolved oxygen in the creek and potentially spread disease to any other fish living in it.
The other problem with discarding fish waste in this manner is that the more it occurs, the more it encourages wildlife, such as eels, to become increasingly dependent on people feeding them, and therefore they become much less resilient.
Tim says there are a number of options for utilising fish heads and/or frames instead of disposing in a suburban pond, such as making fish stock for cooking which can be frozen.
“There are also some Facebook pages that offer an outlet for those wishing to receive or give away frames. When it comes time to throw them out, dig the carcasses into the garden for fertiliser. If carcasses are getting thrown out with the rubbish, freeze them first before adding them to the bin - but only on collection day.”