❓ Hon. Darren West questions the Minister for Fisheries regarding fish deaths in Cockburn Sound, focusing on agency response times, public communication, and ongoing investigations. The Minister provides details on actions taken by various departments and ongoing efforts to determine the cause.
AnsweredQoN 1462Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
COCKBURN SOUND — FISH STOCK LOSSES
1462. Hon DARREN WEST to the
Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the recent fish deaths in Cockburn Sound.
(1) What
agencies responded on the weekend of the fish deaths—20 to 22 November—and
what did their response entail?
(2) Why did it
take more than four days from the time the fish deaths were reported to the
time a health warning was issued?
(3) What
attempts were made to inform people of the fish deaths on the weekend of 21 and
22 November?
(4) What
policies or protocols govern these types of incidents and were they followed in
this instance?
(5) What new
fish deaths have been discovered this week and what has the government done in
response?
(6) What
further action is the government planning to take in relation to the fish
deaths in Cockburn Sound?
1462. Hon DARREN WEST to the
Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to the recent fish deaths in Cockburn Sound.
(1) What
agencies responded on the weekend of the fish deaths—20 to 22 November—and
what did their response entail?
(2) Why did it
take more than four days from the time the fish deaths were reported to the
time a health warning was issued?
(3) What
attempts were made to inform people of the fish deaths on the weekend of 21 and
22 November?
(4) What
policies or protocols govern these types of incidents and were they followed in
this instance?
(5) What new
fish deaths have been discovered this week and what has the government done in
response?
(6) What
further action is the government planning to take in relation to the fish
deaths in Cockburn Sound?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question.
(1) The Department
of Fisheries investigated all the FishWatch reports of fish deaths from
Thursday, 19 November through to Friday, 20 November, including overnight, and
over the weekend of 21 and 22 November. The Department of Environment
Regulation responded to reports on 20 November by carrying out investigations
of possible sources. Only a small number of dead fish had been found by Friday
night.
(2) A media
release was issued by the Department of Fisheries on Sunday, 22 November after
large numbers of dead fish were found. A joint media release from the
Departments of Fisheries and Health was issued on Monday, 23 November.
(3) See the
answer to (2) above. In addition, Department of Fisheries staff contacted
Recfishwest, as the peak body for recreational fishers, on Saturday morning
when large numbers of dead fish were found. Recfishwest published this on its
website and in social media.
(4) The
Department of Fisheries follows the existing protocols and procedures on fish
kills. This includes cross-government coordination with relevant agencies,
including the Department of Health.
(5) About 600
dead blowfish have been found at Point Peron and at Garden Island. Some of
these fish have provided better samples for laboratory analysis and are being
tested.
(6) Systematic
and exhaustive investigations by a number of agencies into the potential causes
of the event, both natural and unnatural, are continuing.
question.
(1) The Department
of Fisheries investigated all the FishWatch reports of fish deaths from
Thursday, 19 November through to Friday, 20 November, including overnight, and
over the weekend of 21 and 22 November. The Department of Environment
Regulation responded to reports on 20 November by carrying out investigations
of possible sources. Only a small number of dead fish had been found by Friday
night.
(2) A media
release was issued by the Department of Fisheries on Sunday, 22 November after
large numbers of dead fish were found. A joint media release from the
Departments of Fisheries and Health was issued on Monday, 23 November.
(3) See the
answer to (2) above. In addition, Department of Fisheries staff contacted
Recfishwest, as the peak body for recreational fishers, on Saturday morning
when large numbers of dead fish were found. Recfishwest published this on its
website and in social media.
(4) The
Department of Fisheries follows the existing protocols and procedures on fish
kills. This includes cross-government coordination with relevant agencies,
including the Department of Health.
(5) About 600
dead blowfish have been found at Point Peron and at Garden Island. Some of
these fish have provided better samples for laboratory analysis and are being
tested.
(6) Systematic
and exhaustive investigations by a number of agencies into the potential causes
of the event, both natural and unnatural, are continuing.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.