Gold Coast Fishos Shape Up Saltwater Creek with over 1853 kg of litter removed

As the urban areas around our local waterways continue to grow, so does the amount of litter produced. Every plastic bottle, takeaway container, and food wrapper cast out onto the street, ends up in our creeks, rivers, oceans – and your favourite local fishing spots.

There’s nothing worse than getting out on the water for some fresh air and a fish only to find our waterways overrun by rubbish. Not only does that collection of litter detract from the inherent natural beauty of the waterway, but it can also have devastating impacts on native fish and their habitat.

Becoming entangled in litter can limit a fish’s ability to move and feed, and ingesting debris can have consequences for individual fitness, reproduction, and survival. Large debris or large collections of debris can both crush and smother sensitive habitats, leaving fish and other organisms vulnerable.

With waterways in urban areas often becoming collection points for litter and targets for illegal dumping, there’s no better time than the present to start tackling the problem!

And that’s exactly what locals on the Gold Coast have done – taking charge of the rubbish accumulated in Saltwater Creek, and removing over 1853 kg across four community events. Our volunteers pulled on their gloves to contribute to the impressive clean-up efforts and have helped secure a healthier future for the fish of the Gold Coast region.

Saltwater Creek is an urban waterway that is surrounded by residential and industrial land throughout the lower reaches. With the M1 Pacific Motorway passing directly over the area, an abundance of litter is washed into the creek and eventually the Moreton Bay Marine Park which it flows into. With funding from the Australian Government’s Urban Rivers and Catchments program, OzFish was determined to reach their goal of removing 2 tonnes of litter from the catchment.

Volunteers showed their dedication to keeping their favourite fishing spots clean across four successful clean up events.

• Saltwater Park, Hope Island (20/06/24): A litter hotspot hidden away behind the trees at a popular dog park lead to the collection of 156kg of trash.
• Tradewinds Reserve, Helensvale (06/07/24): Volunteers hopped aboard kayaks and paddleboards to remove an astounding 715kg of rubbish, collected from just 500m of the creek.
• Mulligan-Way Reserve, Helensvale (20/07/24): This clean-up site passed directly under the M1, with food wrappers and containers being most found. 157kg was collected along the creek, including an old, submerged trolley.
• Tradewinds Reserve, Helensvale (03/08/24): Back at Tradewinds Reserve volunteers divided their efforts and conquered both land and water as some volunteers hopped aboard kayaks once more to remove 825 kg of litter.

These events were a true show of waterway and environmental stewardship from our Gold Coast OzFishers, and proves just how powerful community action can be. Many volunteers were shocked to see just how much litter could be hidden amongst the mangroves and riparian vegetation along the creek banks. But an immense sense of fulfilment and gratification was felt at seeing that litter cleared and collected one piece at a time.

The dedication of these volunteers alone has brought the projects target of removing 2 tonnes of litter is within reaching distance. With the removal of a few larger items along the creek that require specialist extraction, there is no doubt that this goal will not only be met but exceeded.

These incredible efforts made at Saltwater Creek are just the beginning of a larger project within the waterway that aims to improve water quality, overall health, fish habitat, and amenity. To compliment the litter clean up activities, OzFish will be restoring riparian vegetation, improving fish passage through waterway barrier modification, and investigating improvements to stormwater systems.

If you would like to know how you can get involved, join as a member and keep an eye out for upcoming events.