MOONBI 97 6
(2 April, 2000)Oh What! No Feelings — Toyota!
"Boys' Own drinking orgy masquerading as a fishing competition"
Toyota's Fraser Island Fishing Expo which has been frequently described as a "Boys' Own drinking orgy masquerading as a fishing competition" has a lot to answer for. It places more intens environmental pressure on rsome areas of the island than any other single event. Although its continuation is supposed to be conditional on receiving favourable reports from the QPWS on its environmental impacts, arrangements for the next year's event have always been announced before the official report on the last event has been concluded. Several reports have taken over a year to compile. The report on the Fishing Expo held in May 1999, was not completed until January 2000.
Because the contiuation of the Expo is conditional on environmental compliance, for years FIDO sought access to the reports. Until now the QPWS consistently denied FIDO access to the reports. Now we have clear evidence of the litany of environmental impacts. Even these do not describe it all. They fail to assess the impacts on the consumption of alcohol, fuel and the increased traffic. They don't take account of the huge expense incurred over many years upgrading tracks to cater for the large numbers of vehicle towing heavily loaded trailers with boats. They don't consider the impact on the marine environment at all! They are mainly focussed on the impact of camping and any "off track" traffic.
History of the Event: In 1996 the Fishing Expo was held at Eurong. It was the most lightly patronized Fishing Expo and had Toyota clamouring to relocate it back to Orchid Beach where degenerate behaviour was accepted and a site which attracted more "yobbos".
In 1997 the Toyota Motor Company (Australia) acquired the "rights" to run the Fraser Island Fishing Expo and demanded that it be relocated back to the Orchid Beach site from which the Goss Government had removed it after because of its unacceptable environmental impacts on the northern end of the island. MOONBI 88 reported on how the Fishing Expo which was to have ceased altogether after the 1995 event managed to stay on Fraser Island by agreeing to move to Eurong. MOONBI 90 reported on the relocated event. We then thought that the withering of support as the cowboys and yobbos would see the event die a natural death.
The change in government in Queensland in 1996 revived the event. Until then Toyota had been only a sponsor. When it then took over running of the Fishing Expo, it placed very heavy political pressure on the Borbidge Government which is reported in MOONBI 91. (Back copies can be found at www.fido.org.au.)
The Fishing Expos have an enormous capacity to relocate the camping focus and that is best demonstrated by comparing the data in the 1996 and 1997 Reports and the changes in usage between the busiest period of general use on Fraser Island, Easter, and the usage during the Fishing Expo. This is well demonstrated in the following table which also shows an increasing number of official campsites being increased to accommodate the excessive and unsustainable demand being created by this event.
On the next page we just quote from the QPWS Report on the 2000 Fishing Expo which we are advised was watered down from the original.
From "Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service MONITORING REPORT, Toyota Fishing Expo, Orchid Beach Fraser Island",
May 1999, by Haste, M.A., Hobson, R.G. & Lawton, C. — "An indictment of the 99 Fishing Expo:"Page 4: It is difficult to determine to what extent some impacts were unavoidable given the severe weather conditions, but ... there is room for improvement in both management and visitor actions. Toyota's initiative in installing a sewage treatment facility at Orchid Beach brings the event into full EPA compliance. ... A fish offal mincing machine was generally well patronized. ..
Page 6: The results indicate that most pressure is placed on the beach camping areas.
Page 8: The results show the major areas of non-compliance with camping guidelines to be the disposal of rubbish. (This) would have been higher if Toyota had not conducted a clean up of all camp sites immediately following the Expo. This type of behaviour has major effect on the natural value:
* Unnatural food sources being available to wildlife , particularly Dingoes, goannas and birds.
* Wildlife becoming entangled in rubbish including a dingo sighted with a gang of hooks hanging from its mouth and numerous birds injured by fishing hooks and line.
* Decreased visual amenity.
* Promotion of further littering.
* Indication if substandard management .
Many visitors to the Island express disappointment with the quantity of rubbish on the beaches. ...
Other areas of non-compliance with camping guidelines include the collection of bush timber for firewood, breaking of branches, destruction of vegetation and the forming of new tracks to access camps. Whilst incidents are now uncommon, the few cases observed have long-term and significant effects on the values of the area. Rehabilitation of sites affected by firewood collection and fireplace location usually takes many years.
There were no recorded cases of newly cleared areas for campsites or of camping in a rehabilitation area.
(FIDO notes: This is because many new sites illegally created in previous years have now been formalized as "official" camp sites. There is over a 30% increase in the number of sites from 1998 to 1999))
P 9: Toyota (should) advise competitors of the maximum duration of camp establishment (being 21 days) (NOTE: In 1990 the Government invoked the 21 day camping limit rule against the greenie protesters, apparently the only time the rule has applied). ... An increased incidence of unauthorised passing bays was noted particularly along the heathland section of the Wathumba Road. ... Within the heath section there can be several hundred metres between passing bays (the standard distance being 100m apart). (Ironically the QPWS recommendations relating to this are "10 Discontinue road monitoring at future Fishing Expos, and 11 QPWS to construct additional passing bays on the Wathumba Road". )
pp. 10-11: Two species of ghost crab utilize foredune areas foraging and burrow construction. ... Ghost crabs play an important role in sandy shore and dune "health". Damage to crab burrows was evident in several instances and three crushed ceratophthalma were found crushed within a 100 metre transect. Impacts on these species are not obvious and, therefore, insidious.
Page 14: Impacts on seabirds and shorebird communities: Disruption of, and mortalities to, resident Crested terns was one of the main issues ... The death of many terns from irresponsible driving was the primary complaint ... On the morning of 24/5/99 12 dead crested terns were collected from the beach between Waddy Point and Ngkala Rocks ... On the morning of 27/5/99 another 14 dead Crested terns were collected. A conservative estimate of the number of Crested Terns killed by vehicle strikes during the Fishing Expo is 35+ birds.
Many terns were also reported taking fishing baits and being subsequently "hooked up" in the tackle. One competitor informed QPWS staff that he had caught six birds in a single morning and thought "that terns should be included as a category in the competition." Another competitor said that he had taken 2 birds. ... Three instances recorded at Waddy Point on the morning of 27/5/99 demonstrate the callous disregard for native fauna on Fraser Island. One bird was seen to be flying with a gang of hooks and a length of line trailing from its gape. (Another had) extensive wounds to its gap, throat and with its left eye completely gouged out. A third bird was bleeding profusely such that its entire white underparts were stained red and its lower mandible hanging loose from its gape. ... Streams of traffic often drove through flocks of roosting seabirds without any decrease in speed or attempts to drive around the birds.
Despite constant pleas by competition organizers and QPWS staff regarding the plight of the birds a great number of competitors totally disregarded roosting flocks. Constant flight to avoid oncoming vehicles rapidly depleted energy stores to the extent that eventually many birds were literally run over.
p 15: Improper disposal of fish offal: On the morning of 27/5/99 rangers collected the equivalent of two large household bins of improperly disposed fish remains between Waddy Point and Orange Creek. The range of species encountered both inshore and reef species indicating that both boat-based and land-based competitors were implicated. .. native species were noted feeding on discarded bait and offal. Two instances of illegal and deliberate feeding of wildlife by competitors were noted.
pp. 17-18: A total of 12 new tracks were formed. This level of impact is unacceptable ... This year saw a marked impact in illegal traffic along foredunes ... Protective barriers were ignored and in several instances, removed illegally. Signs were also willfully damaged. The continuation of inappropriate and illegal driving on vegetated sand dunes ... was particularly blatant. Reports to QPWS staff of 3 Toyota Company vehicles driving on closed foredune areas at South Waddy Beach in the week after the event.
p 20: Large numbers of campers arrived on the island without vehicle or camping permits and disputing their need to pay for pre-erected tents. 70 vehicle permits and 145 camping permits (for 3252 camper nights) were sold. It is evident that many people attending attempt to avoid paying the correct camping or vehicle permit fees.
There is much more which could be quoted which indicate that by allowing such an event to continue in a World Heritage National Park is irresponsible.
The current 5 year agreement for Toyota to run the Fishing Expo expires in 2001. That should be the very last Fishing Expo on Fraser Island. If the QPWS were serious and had delivered their report punctually, 1999 should have been Toyota's last under the existing "agreement".