Fishing and other debris continues to be a problem in coastal estuaries world wide. In an effort to keep one of our local waterways clean, SURG members undertook a cleanup at picturesque Red Rock river recently. The section of the river from near the shop upstream to around the boat ramp is heavily fished by recreational divers and has been the site of regular surveys in past years.
The survey methodology, usually conducted the day before, involves 4 by 25 metre transects, each 5 m wide, end on end, with divers recording all marine debris within that footprint. The data collected is entered into a database for future analysis. After the survey is completed, the debris is removed, usually by a larger team of divers in the following days, and the results of this days efforts can be seen here.
