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Who's throwing rubbish overboard


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I don't know anyone who would throw anything overboard, so who are these "boaties"? Or is this another crock of BS by some moron pretending to be a journalist?

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10698743

 

 

Some of Auckland's most popular coastal spots are becoming rubbish dumps as floating piles of garbage wash up on them.

 

Boaties, strong winds and discarded household junk are being blamed for clogging once-pristine coves, islands and beaches this summer.

 

The finger has also been pointed at boaties disposing of waste in the Hauraki Gulf.

 

Residents and swimmers at North Shore beaches say bays have been contaminated this month by disgusting litter apparently thrown overboard.

 

Rangers at Long Bay Regional Park make daily clean-ups at 4am to keep the beach in a reasonable state.

 

Long Bay resident Kathryn Calvert said her family got out of the water last week after finding more than 20 tampons and used sanitary pads floating nearby.

 

 

But Mr Smith said much of the litter, especially large objects, had come from boaties in the Hauraki Gulf.

 

As well, anglers threw bait bags and packaging into the Waitemata.

 

But Recreational Fishing Council head Geoff Rowling said he believed fishermen were more likely than the average boatie to respect the sea.

 

"Those who are looking to the marine resources to provide them with food take the care of the marine environment very seriously."

 

Collected items such as toiletries suggested it was boaties, not fishermen, who were dumping their waste.

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How long since there has been storm water run off there?Even during holidays,the stuff ignorant weekend warrior boaties might throw in the water is a fraction of the stuff that washes off the land during heavy rain.

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Squid I would hope that boaties aren't contaminating the water, but there are alot of people on the water these days who wouldn't make a boaties arsehole, so it doesn't surprise me that this is happening. There are however many many more possible sources of this than just boaties. Ships, landbased rubbish dumpers are two that spring to mind. Irrespective of the cause it saddens me that someone is dumping their rubbish in our marine environment.

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In the Herald article there was specific mention of persistent waste material characteristic of a sewage discharge on Auckland's East Coast beaches. Strangely, boaties were blamed by the journalist rather than the large sewage discharge pipe that discharges North Shore's wastewater into the Waitemata ... or the stormwater drains that receive sewer overflows during rainfall events. Nah, couldn't be that, must be those bloody irresponsible boaties!!! :roll:

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Yes, a little bit offended by all that. While we used to (40 years ago) leave a trail of rubbish in our wake, I can't remember the last time we dropped anything over the side. And I think what we do is very general.

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In a previous life I managed a cleanup of the Henderson Creeks and the Whau River. Took out 52 tonnes of rubbish from the tidal and intertidal areas in the Henderson Creek alone. Now explain how boaties get their rubbish up behind the mangroves in these areas.

 

The major source is domestic and roadside rubbish blown or dumped into these areas then carried out on spring tides to then come in on our beaches and islands.

 

Just look at the stream of rubbish, debris and logs going down the harbour after a king tide with a flood thrown in.

 

Interesting how the lack of "news" over this period always brings out the same hoary chestnuts - boat licencing/registration, compulsory wearing of lifejackets and the rubbish issue.

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Came home after 2 weeks with 3 rubbish bags, 2 of them packaging alone. Way way to much money, space, resources are wasted by packaging and we are letting manufacturers or their marketing depts be totally irresponsible.

 

From what I saw boaties were pretty damn good out there. A few plastic bags and bottles and strangely a huge pile of lettuce leaves, huge pile, but otherwise good to go.

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"Those who are looking to the marine resources to provide them with food take the care of the marine environment very seriously."

 

Going out from Gulf Harbour we have seen lots of plastic 'ice' bags and 'bait' bags, which suggests the very opposite of this above statement.

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Western food packing is a crime. When I go to the market in Mumbai I come home with one carrier bag that has been stuffed full of all my veg by the stallholder and maybe one other bag with some meat wrapped up in newspaper. When I get home it takes a few mins to separate the chillis from the limes from the tomatoes but by the time I've unpacked and got everything in the fridge ready to use, my rubbish amounts to a plastic bag and a couple of sheets of newspaper at most.

 

The other day when I was back in NZ provisioning AC for the xmas trip, we unpacked as much of the food as possible and restowed it - and we took a whole pile of plastic/cardboard rubbish up to the bins before we even left the dock, which certainly saved on rubbish accumulation whilst we were away. I also run an 'organic' box in the galley which is simply a old 5l ice cream container with lid. I throw all food scraps into it when preparing a meal and then the next time I'm out in open water e.g. half way from GH to Barrier I tip it over the back - it's mainly skins/peelings/stalks of fruit and veg plus any leftover from last night's dinner - which is all biodegradeable and also saves on the gash bag becoming stinky.

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There is also a lot of Plastic rubbish floating out to sea from the Harbour and Inner Harbour. Up at Hobbsonville at low tide, the plastic items stuck on the Mudflats is astonishing. Whenever I see something on the Mudflat that shouldn't be there, I go grab it and take it back to the Rubbish bin.

Another one of concern is the Westlake Boys, yes Boy's not the Girls. Both groups use Hobbsonville as there Rowing base and after each morning, the Landing ramp is littered with plastic drink bottles and sometimes even jandals. I have mentioned the bottles a couple of times to the lads when I see one drop one down. Maybe someone here that has something to do with Westlake could pass on this info so it could be announced to the club officially, to clean up after themselves.

I have also picked up bottles(that have not come from the rowing club) and also plastic bags from Bait etc as well as ooodles of fishing line with sinkers and hooks on the end, after they have been snagged. I now currently have a good supply of sinkers.

 

I also watch a program on TV last weekend of a yacht down at South Georgia Islands and the conservationist said they pull fishing line and rope from a Seal at least once per day. They had two that particular day and what a sad mess for the Seal. The line cuts really deep into the flesh. All these lines had been discarded at sea mainly from Long liners.

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For me, plastic and it's derivatives is the really bad one. Because of the time taken to decompose.

 

Now, in the chart given above, I believe there is some misinformation.

Several years ago I was out on a boat with a marine biologist. He was one of NZ's leading specialists in fish life, especially coastal and rock pool. He had a beer. When finished, he tore the can and threw it (alloy can) over the side. I was amazed, and quizzed him about it. He said - have you ever seen an alloy can on the bottom when you are diving? I thought about that, and realized I had seen steel can, but not alloy. He said after a month, only the pressed rings remain, and they are gone in 6 months.

The form above says 200 years!! I've seen other stuff that says any other range in between.

I'm going to do an experiment, and hang an empty beer can on a string off my marina berth. Lets see how long it lasts....

Oh, and by the way, we do not discharge anything overboard (except TREATED toilet waste) in the Gulf, and very little any other time. I have been know to sink some bottles in deep water (Oceans) when on long trips and short of space. NO PLASTIC. EVER.

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OK, Can is installed. And Torn. I'll monitor it and let you all know what happens...

Yes, I know it's in a sheltered, low water flow location, and shallow. But it will still be interesting IMO.

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Look forward to the experiment results.

 

One of my mates who is a geologist throws glass bottles overboard (filled with water so they sink) when in the gulf and a reasonable distance from shore. I quizzed him about it and his view was they would break down and return to their natural state.

 

I note however per the below article that discharge of rubbish, including metal and glass is now illegal under international maritime rules in force for New Zealand waters

 

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Throwing-a-bottl ... z2yLw2pZyZ

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I know someone that drops bottles over the side and he reckons it makes homes for little critters down there. He does drop them in deep water however and there is enough current around here to tumble them around and break them up I guess. But in calmer area's like around the Gulf or the inner sounds and with muddy or sandy bottoms, it's not a good idea.

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