"Questions Surround DOC Poison Drops"

from TV3.co.nz

"New Zealand enjoys the status of clean and green – but what do we do to achieve that?

As a country we lead the world in a series of rejuvenation projects like the weka, the kakapo and the Kiwi. But to achieve this the Department of Conservation has to first clear out areas and continue to eradicate pests like the rat, the stoat and the possum.

Poisons like 1080, cyanide and brodifacoum are used to control these pests.

But lately a large number of animals around the Hauraki Gulf have been found dead – eight dolphins and 150 penguins have been reported washed up on beaches. This follows three major dumps of brodifacoum – a rat poison on Rangitoto and Motutapu islands. (see Sea life deaths continue in Hauraki Gulf)

DOC say it is nothing more than coincidence. Members of the public are not so sure......"

The article then links to a video of Campbell Live's investigation into the sea life deaths in the Hauraki Gulf. The video of Campbell's report may be found here: TV3 and here: Scoop

Read about the complete ecocidal devastation a drop of 1080 poison caused in the Marlborough Sounds and how one evironmental group used traditional trapping methods to control possums and talked DoC out of using 1080 to bombard land in Nydia Bay:

“There was just silence.....It was as if the bush had gone into a state of shock. The dawn chorus should have been in full swing but there wasn’t even a fly buzzing. We all saw 1080 pellets in the streams and dead animals on the tracks; the only noises we could hear were trees creaking in the wind. Weka disappeared from the bay that day and it was eight years before they returned.”

See: Youtube videos
Read comments responding to the Campbell Live article from the NZ public who are outraged over this form of ecocide here: 'Comments'. These are some of them:

"Helen

02 Sep 2009 10:37p.m.

Good on you TV3 for starting to get little bits of this news out there. One thing that needs to be covered is that not only DOC and other agencies are poisoning our environment with large scale dropping of such toxins but also they are doing much smaller, more quieter "campaigns" all over our "100% pure" country.
I live in a small rural valley in Upper Hutt which has recently had Brodificaum used here, and every day I am finding dead birds on my property. I have lived here 12 years and never seen so many dead birds. Other neighbours have also commented on the loss of fish lfe in our streams. Maybe not a big thing for just one little insignificant valley but how many of these valleys make up our 100% pure image right across our country?

If people do not want to get passionate about the wild, domestic and farmed animals being killed, or the threat to humans then consider what our international tourism, meat, diary, wild game markets would think of this. The economic impact could be dire. It makes "100% pure" a sick joke! Please TV3 keep covering what is going on here and please can we see some more in depth investigation."
"Stephen

01 Sep 2009 9:16p.m.

Just whoo do DOC answer to. Seems only to them selves. The Minister of Conservation is no where to be seen when it comes to explaining the use of 140 tones of brodifacom on the doorstep of 1.2M New Zealanders. I am really pleased I do not live in Auckland, but I fear no place in NZ is safe from teh effects of DOC and AHBs mass poison of New Zealand.
It makes me ashamed to be a New Zealander that we have authorities so clearly hell bent on hoodwinking us."
Mr T

01 Sep 2009 6:52p.m.

"fishingnet.co.nz has a detailed discussion on this issue. http://www.oceanaware.info/Home_Page.html is where the concerned public can support Sarah Silverstar with the $1800 to test the penguins' livers for brodificoum poisoning.
I have chosen to live on Waiheke Island so my family has daily access to this beautiful coastline. The silence from ARC, DOC and ACC has been deafening. Well done everybody for speaking up!!!!

Sea-life Deaths Continue in Hauraki Gulf - Spike In Dolphin Deaths

Despite Auckland's beaches being re-opened after the stand down on an alert over a deadly toxin that killed a number of dogs and made scores more sick, one scientist has been brave enough to voice her concerns about the continuing deaths of dophins in the Hauraki Gulf. (The beaches were coincidentally opened a few days ago....just in time for the official end of winter)

Despite her concerns the scientist was told by the Auckland Regional Council that an investigation into the dolphins deaths was "not a line of inquiry" it wanted to pursue:

"A spike in the number of dead dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf could point to a problem other than poisonous sea slugs - if only authorities would do the necessary tests, says a researcher.

Marine biologist Karen Stockin, who is responsible for autopsies on common dolphins that wash up around Auckland, wants authorities to investigate the deaths of eight otherwise seemingly healthy dolphins in the space of three weeks.

She said the deaths were probably not linked to dog deaths that occurred at about the same time, "but that does not mean we should not be concerned".

"The common dolphin is an important biological indicator and if something changes in their system that causes an increase in deaths, that is important."

Ms Stockin said that on average, one or two common dolphins would wash up around the coastline of New Zealand each month.

However, "eight independent deaths from one region [were reported] in just a three-week period", she said.

"Not a single [dolphin] was emaciated or malnourished. On the contrary, the animals examined were seemingly healthy prior to death."

Tissues tests had failed to explain why they died. "These were all mature, robust animals."

Ms Stockin, a Massey University scientist, is pushing for the dolphins' stomach contents to be tested.

She has kept samples from their stomachs and contacted the Auckland Regional Council - which has been leading the investigation into deaths of dogs and other marine life - to ask about testing them.

She was told it was "not a line of inquiry" the council wanted to pursue.....The council and other agencies ruled out a link between the dog and dolphin deaths without testing the dolphins' stomachs.....

....it was up to the Department of Conservation to decide if the dolphins warranted further testing. A spokeswoman for the department did not return messages yesterday."

Testing should be carried out (outside of New Zealand if necessary) without any further delay for two main reasons:

• To exclude any possibility that the pesticide recently dropped on Rangitoto and Motutipu Islands may have entered the food chain

• To identify the cause as part of an assessment as to whether there is a risk to human health from swimming in or eating fish/shellfish from the region.

See also from oceanaware.info

"Update 22/9/09: Pete [name supplied] who has been fishing the Hauraki Gulf for the last 35 years, and regularly fishes off Rangitoto, had this to say about the day of the first poison drops in June. (He was fishing on the rocks. Other fisherman were removed from the area, however he refused to leave):

"there were immense amounts of it [poison] going into the water - there was more going into the sea than the land! It was absolutely horrendous to see.... I have never seen anything like this in all my 35 years of fishing... It was coming in like hail (it stung!), in immense, immense amounts, it looked like every 100 m or so, there was a sack of it going in the water... my dear, what I saw you would not believe" He also expressed feelings that are best not printed here! however he did say, " they need their backsides kicked good and proper!!"

Pete and Paul, another fisherman I have spoken to expressed grave concerns about poison accumulating in the food chain. The fish caught in these areas are being sold at the market - even if people do not become ill from this, they will likely be accumulating poison in their liver.

It does make us wonder if anyone is analysing fish and marine mammals for pesticide residues and why independent environment organisations aren't arranging for their own testing.

For more on the background to this story see: Auckland beaches' poison