The Department of Health (DoH) say it’s now safe to fish and eat fish and shellfish from parts of the Swan River impacted by recent sewage overflows because of burst Water Corp wastewater pipes.
No fishing signs have now been removed following confirmation from the Department of Health that water samples have returned to “relative/normal” background levels.
The signs had been installed in response to sewage overflows into the river over a fortnight ago caused by burst wastewater pipes in Spearwood and Hamilton Hill. Affected locations included areas near Dunkley Avenue (Applecross), Burke Drive (Alfred Cove), and Fremantle Sailing Club.
While we welcome confirmation that the immediate health risk has passed, Recfishwest remains deeply concerned about the way this incident was handled and communicated to the public — particularly to recreational fishers.
“It is unacceptable that the Water Corporation took so long to contact us about this serious incident,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland. “They’ve since apologised and blamed inter-agency communication failures — but that’s not good enough when our health and waterways are at risk.
“The Swan River is a treasured urban fishing haven – incidents should not occur like this in the first place. But if they do – timely, accurate information shared with fishers must be a priority as a bare minimum.
“We expect much better from agencies entrusted with protecting our environment and public health.”
While some physical signage was placed at affected locations, Recfishwest believes this response fell short of what is required when public health and community confidence are at risk.
In addition, Recfishwest is keen to understand what Water Corp is going to be doing to mitigate the impacts of the sewage overflows on the Swan River environment and our fishing experiences.
We will continue to press the agencies involved on these issues to ensure they remain accountable and fulfil their obligations to the thousands of WA fishers who fish the Swan River.
