Fish and Game New Zealand is urging the Waikato Regional Council to exhibit stronger leadership following the death of around 1500 birds at the Whangamarino wetland. The birds died due to a botulism outbreak that occurred due to dairy intensification and a lack of protection of freshwater environments. The council has developed a multi-agency response plan for blackwater events alongside the DOC, Fish and Game, and Mana Whenua, and aims to identify the longer-term science, investigations, and monitoring required to recognize such events before they happen. The council plans to reduce the frequency and severity of these events in the short, medium, and long term, as well as better coordinate action across agencies.
Fish and Game demands stronger leadership from Waikato Regional Council following bird deaths
Fish and Game New Zealand has demanded stronger leadership from the Waikato Regional Council after the death of hundreds of birds at Whangamarino wetland. The birds, believed to be around 1500, died after a botulism outbreak which Fish and Game claims was caused by dairy intensification and failure to protect freshwater environments.
Fish and Game New Zealand’s CEO, Corina Jordan, said that the council is responsible for managing natural resources, but there has been a “breakdown in leadership” in managing landscapes. Jordan’s team, along with the Department of Conservation (DOC), hunters, and local Mana Whenua, has so far collected around 1500 dead birds.
The Waikato Regional Council Science Manager, Mike Scarsbrook, said in a statement published on the council’s website that the avian botulism outbreak occurred in January after a blackwater event in the Whangamarino and Maramarua Rivers in December. Scarsbrook added that the council has developed a multi-agency response for blackwater events, along with DOC, Fish and Game, and Mana Whenua.
The council aims to clarify roles and responsibilities across agencies, identify longer-term science, investigations and monitoring that need to be done to recognize such events before they happen, determine trigger points for action, and reduce the frequency and severity of events in the short, medium, and long term, and better coordinate action across agencies.
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