Under a Biosecurity Control Order Yamba prawns off the menu until June 2025 as Clarence Valley regional economy takes a hit

 

The Clarence River Prawn Trawl Fishery has been highly productive since its beginnings in the 1880s, with Yamba and Iluka in the modern era being the home ports of the largest prawn trawling fleet in New South Wales [NSW DPI, April 2022] which has a reputation for landing approximately half of the total annual catch of school prawns in the state and is an integral part of the Clarence region seafood industry worth estimated $40-60 million annually.

The total ban on prawn movement out of the Clarence River estuary since 16 February 2023 after White Spot Syndrome Virus* was detected in three northern NSW prawn farms, whilst a vital biosecurity measure, comes on top of flood impacts on the Lower Clarence estuary in 2022 and will inevitably affect the Clarence Valley's Gross Regional Product (GRP) bottom line.

As professional fishers tend to spend most of their income locally, there is likely to be a flow-on effect on businesses in Lower Clarence River commercial precincts.  

Note: White Spot was first detected in NSW in August 2022 & eradicated in September 2022, according to NSW Dept. of Primary Industries. The disease poses no risk to human health.

According to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (RFDC):

The Clarence River Region is known for its high-quality prawn markets. The region was kept profitable during COVID restrictions due to a significant portion of the fisher directing its product to the highly profitable bait market. This diversification away from the consumer market has ensured stability for the region. Many fishing businesses pivoted their strategies to meet this new buyer to the region. The loss of the uncooked prawn market in the Clarence region will therefore destabilize the industry.

Clarence Valley Independent, 21 June 2023:

Prawn trawlers will be locked out of the Clarence River for two years as part of a $21.4 million NSW government biosecurity response and recovery plan from White Spot, which has devastated the multi-million-dollar industry.

NSW Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Sarah Britton said a critical component of the plan is the long-term measures to help drive business and trade continuity in NSW and other parts of Australia.

“A number of new and enhanced on-farm biosecurity measures will be essential in ensuring businesses can continue operations safely and securely,” she said.

“These measures are set out in a new Control Order, which includes the continuation of current restrictions on movement of green decapod crustaceans from the existing Clarence River Control Zone for two years.”

Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said the funding is for both the ongoing biosecurity response to White Spot and a targeted assistance package for industry.

“Biosecurity is the number one issue, it presents the most significant threat to our primary industries sector – as well as our economy, environment and communities,” Minister Moriarty said.

“This investment recognises the critical importance an effective response to White Spot has on prawn fishing, farming and trade in Australia. It acknowledges the efforts of fishers and producers from the Clarence River region to the ongoing eradication effort and aims to ensure their ongoing contribution of the local fishing and aquaculture industry in the region.

Ms Moriarty said biosecurity experts had contained the spread of the virus, which poses no threat to human health.

“Biosecurity and fisheries experts from NSW Department of Primary Industry (DPI), working closely with local and national industry, have managed to contain the spread of the virus and are now working to support industry maintain and implement biosecurity measures that will minimise potential future introduction of white spot.

“The DPI recovery team has been on the ground since the first detections of White Spot and many affected fishers and producers have presented options to the team which have been considered when putting this plan together.”

Ms Britton said the plan will see new surveillance measures implemented to protect the industry.

“This approach will help support NSW work to implement nationally agreed surveillance to demonstrate freedom and underpin future market access,” she said.

“White Spot poses no threat to human health and NSW prawns remain safe for human consumption. NSW prawns are available from local seafood suppliers.”

The plan includes:

* $5.4 million to help secure the future for Clarence River prawn fishers

* $1.5 million to help prawn farmers upgrade their operations to better protect the environment

* $309,000 rent fee waiver for the Clarence River Fisherman’s Cooperative

* $82,000 rent fee waiver for mooring fees for the Clarence River prawn trawlers

* $165,000 in waivers for all DPI Administration fees for affected prawn fishers and farmers

* $700,000 to waive interest payments for Seafood Innovation Fund Loans

* $1 million in surveillance and diagnostic activities

* $105,000 for the mental health ‘Stay Afloat’ program

Yamba NSW 2023: is anybody listening?

 

The road into Yamba, Clarence Valley NSW, 4 March 2022
Credit: Clarence Valley Council via Storyful in Yahoo!

To put it frankly Yamba township’s flood resilience is a shambles.

Surrounded on all compass points by river, lake or ocean, much of the urban footprint of the town is built on degraded sand hills and reclaimed marshland or swamp across 16.92 sq km of coastal land.

The natural fingers of the Clarence River estuary which intrude into residential streets are now exacerbated by a fringe of canal estates which bring tidal riverwater right up to the artificial soft shore boundary edges of the backyards, side yards or front yards of so many homes and make it possible for riverine flooding to enter more streets than it once did.

Ocean storm surges occurring during destructive East Coast Low storm events are something that are considered almost in passing when it comes to resilience planning and flood risk management. Even though authorities are aware that days of heavy rainfall leading to soil saturation accompanied by strong seas result in est. 1 in 1,000 chance that land slippage will affect sections of Yamba Hill & environs public and private property – including residential dwellings. Such an event can coincide with riverine and stormwater flooding in wider Yamba.

The Lower Clarence River floodplain spans 500km². That is a substantial floodplain and climate change modelling in BMT Lower Clarence Flood Model Update 2013 indicates that all along the lower river peak flood levels are expected to increase in 1% AEP events.

The natural protection of Yamba’s 690ha natural flood storage area has over time been eaten away by extensive landfill earthworks being created in preparation for housing another 2,000-2,500 people in West Yamba. While completed large scale earthworks elsewhere in Yamba are contributing to increased stormwater flooding adding to the volume of flood water flowing in from the Clarence River and into internal waterways and floodways of a town whose current population is 6,388 men women and children living in a density of 377.6 persons per sq km.

Coping with the town’s street plan and road surface heights which lead to predictable internal road closures during major flooding. These closures will inevitably occur ahead of any official advice to immediately evacuate during a Lower Clarence River flood. Currently it appears such emergency advice is not planned to be given until flood height reaches 2.1m at Maclean – at which point Yamba’s only evacuation route is highly likely to be closed in both directions.

In 2022 any evacuation by vehicle ahead of a flood front was calculated to take a minimum of one hour for the journey to Maclean via Yamba Road and the Pacific Highway to be completed. A journey that in good conditions might take twenty minutes. [C. Landers, Clarence Valley Council correspondence, dated 30 June 2022]

When it comes to Yamba residents and visitors; state & local government along with emergence services have placed the primary emphasis on “self-help" when coping with rising floodwaters or a need to evacuate, due to limited SES resources being spread across the valley.

Added to this is the fact that Yamba's flood heights expected ahead of active flood fronts and actual flood front heights as they reach the town are broad estimations. Because the town has to rely on the Maclean flood gauge further inland due to the strong tidal movement at the river mouth which is said to distort any flood calculations derived from the Yamba tidal gauge situated in the vicinity of the start of the southern breakwater wall.

Yamba is an accident waiting to happen and, it does not inspire confidence, when reading between the lines of the following newspaper article it seems that Clarence Valley Council administration is reluctant to obtain a written record of the lived experience of the wider population in Yamba over the last three decades. Something that would complement the data contained in the anticipated report by BMT WBM Pty Ltd.

Clarence Valley Independent, 17 May 2023:

The Yamba Community Action Network Yamba CAN Inc is urging Clarence Valley Council to conduct a flood survey of all residents on the Yamba floodplain so it can be incorporated in the updated Clarence River Flood Study and Flood Model which are currently being prepared.

Consideration of the impacts of the devastating floods in February and March 2022 will be factored into council’s new Flood Study and Flood Model, and Yamba CAN Inc believes the studies would be better informed if a survey was done to understand the impacts on individual residences.

When Yamba CAN recently discovered a flood study being conducted by Coffs Harbour City Council of residents in the Moonee Creek catchment area, members questioned why CVC couldn’t do the same.

Flooding impacts areas of Yamba differently, so to get a comprehensive picture of how the entire Yamba floodplain is affected, Yamba CAN Inc suggests CVC adopt a similar model to Coffs Harbour City Council, by asking each household to describe how they were impacted.

Questions in the Moonee Creek flood survey include: how long have you lived in the region; have you experienced flooding within the Moonee Creek catchment; have you experienced any other flooding event; please provide a short description of any flooding you have experienced; whether your home/business, garage, yard was flooded; were you able to drive your vehicle to safety; what areas of the community are most at risk of flooding; have you noticed any changes in the frequency or severity of flooding in your area and to provide photos and depths of the flooding.

From answers to these questions, Yamba CAN Inc asserts CVC could develop a comprehensive flood model of how individual residences are impacted in times of flood.

The important information obtained from the survey would assist with any upgrading of west Yamba’s stormwater drainage system.

Yamba CAN Inc sent a letter to CVC General Manager Laura Black, and all Clarence Valley Councillors calling for a flood survey of residents living on the Yamba floodplain to be included in the updated Flood Study and Flood Model.

“It has come to Yamba CAN Inc’s attention of another flood study being undertaken by Coffs Harbour City Council in the Moonee Creek Catchment area,” the letter states.

“This flood study includes gathering information from all residents in the Catchment area by means of a survey.

“A similar survey of residents living on the Yamba floodplain is of paramount importance to be included in the current Flood Study and Model, particularly not only in relation to riverine flooding but stormwater flooding during February/March 2022 which occurred two days prior to the Clarence River flood crest reaching Yamba.

“Yamba CAN Inc requests CVC undertake such a survey and the results be considered in the formulation of the current Flood Study and Model.”

A Clarence Valley Council spokesperson said council engaged BMT to undertake flood modelling using the latest available property and event data for the local government area to inform Floodplain Risk Management Plans.

“The plan will be presented to the Council for exhibition, providing opportunity for the community to comment and provide feedback,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said council doesn’t plan to do a survey of impacted residents in Yamba.

“Council does not intend to survey individual households in relation to this matter,” the spokesperson said.

“However, we will be undertaking a Yamba Urban Drainage Survey to capture residents experiences in recent events, as we are currently doing for Iluka.”

Quote of the Month

 “..we’ve all had our lived experiences of floods of varying intensities. Now as intelligent human beings I think we can do better than what we’ve been doing.

We continue to build on floodplains and expect somehow some sort of different result. 

We talk about flood resilience and flood resilience is not living with its fingers crossed-type mentality.

Fingers crossed that it doesn’t rain too hard, too much. Fingers crossed that when it does the supermarket shelves are not stripped out. Fingers crossed that we can evacuate ourselves and if we can’t, fingers crossed the SES is going to come and look after us. And fingers crossed that if I do need medical help or to get out of Yamba, that road is not broken by flood water.”

[Cr. Jeff Smith, speaking in support of a motion to rezone undeveloped land in West Yamba Urban Release Area within the town’s natural flood storage area, Clarence Valley Council Ordinary Monthly Meeting,18 April 2023] 

And the expansion of inappropriate urban development on a Northern NSW high risk coastal flood plain continues apace in 2023.....

Northern Regional Planning Panel (NRPP) now has Development Application SUB2023/0001 before it as PPSNTH-195.

A 284 lot subdivision on Lot 47 DP 751395 at 52-54 Miles Street, Yamba NSW, with a capital investment value of $48,458,741.

Composed of 277 low density residential lots, 1 medium density residential development lot, 1 commercial development lot, 1 low density development lot, 3 drainage reserve lots and 1 open space reserve lot on the est. 21.25ha lot.

This DA was lodged with Clarence Valley Council on 18 January and referred to NRPP on 30 January 2023.

It appears to be the second stage of the urban development of Lots 46 & 47 by Kahuna No 1 Pty Ltd, a property development corporation. Stage 1 is already in the process of landfilling.

Stage 1 and proposed Stage 2 now before the NRPP stretch from Carrs Drive in the west to Golding Street in the east, with Miles Street forming the northern boundary and a common property line forming the southern boundary.

These two lots are 42.5ha of the remaining natural flood storage area in Yamba which has a potential to flood to a height range of 1.6-2.0m in years when the Lower Clarence River floods and, the filling of the lots to a height above 1 in 100 flood levels will inevitably force storm & river waters onto adjoining and adjacent residential land causing it to flow into residential streets further afield.

There is one certainty with this development application - with the exception of the two local government representatives on the Northern Regional Planning Panel - the issues of climate change, changing flood behaviours and an inadequate, badly thought though emergency evacuation plan for Yamba township, will receive only lipservice consideration. Because the Perrottet Coalition Government in Sydney still insists on urban development across high risk floodplains and the Clarence Valley's retiring Nationals state member and his replacement candidate will inevitably continue playing the game of mates rather than genuinely representing the town's population.