Over the weekend, OzFish volunteers supported the efforts of Clean Up Australia Day by removing over 3 tonnes of rubbish from 16 waterways across the country.
The fishing community knows all too well how much rubbish flows in and around our waterways, leading to 208 volunteers getting stuck in and demonstrating their commitment to healthy waterways.
The fishers picked up hundreds of pieces of litter. Happily, there was minimal amounts of discarded fishing tackle reported. The most common items collected were food consumables, such as plastic packaging, aluminium cans, and glass bottles.
A Jumanji board game was the most unusual item found by the OzFish Hastings Chapter, who were cleaning the litter that had washed up between the mangroves along the Hastings River.
Cassie Price, OzFish Director of Habitat Programs, says Clean Up Australia Day is an opportunity to address litter head-on.
“This event is more than a clean-up, it’s about fostering a culture of awareness and I can’t tell you how proud I am to see so many anglers helping out through our OzFish work.
“Each item removed during Clean Up Australia Day marks a victory, and from what we’re seeing, it is making a difference to the larger challenge of litter and debris impacting our creeks, rivers, and coastal areas.
“We can continue to make progress in reducing litter in our waterways by making it part of our collective fishing culture actively reducing, storing and picking up litter any time we fish,” said Cassie.
As OzFish continues its mission to improve Australia’s fish habitats, the success of Clean Up Australia Day this year serves as a testament to the collective power of community action.
