deformed fish

THE owner of a Queensland hatchery where double-headed fish embryos were found is taking past and present owners of a neighbouring macadamia farm to court, alleging spray drift from their operations damaged her fish and her business.




"I want them to admit that they were doing it and stop it," said Gwen Gilson, owner of Sunland Fish Hatchery near the Noosa River. "We want clear air and clean water. That's essential."



The problems became widely known in January last year when Ms Gilson confirmed that in addition to massively deformed embryos, surviving fish showed abnormal spinning behaviour and other physical deformities.



The Australian then revealed the existence of a possible cancer cluster among residents on Boreen Point, near the macadamia farm.



It is understood there may be more cases brought by residents, alleging health problems from suspected cancers to gastrointestinal and bladder complaints, skin disorders and headaches.


According to documents sighted by The Australian, Ms Gilson is seeking damages and a declaration that between 2005 and the present the defendants negligently "permitted dangerous fungicide and pesticide chemicals" to escape from the plantation.


The defendants could not be contacted for comment.



Ms Gilson claimed that problems began at her native fish hatchery in September 2004 after a macadamia farmer allegedly sprayed nut trees with fungicide and pesticides.



All two million sea mullet fry allegedly died when Ms Gilson transferred them into an open tank at the hatchery. She will also claim that native bass stocks died when fresh water was provided for them from the open tank.



From then on, Ms Gilson alleges that stocks of Mary River cod, yellow belly, silver perch and mullet also died or showed deformities and abnormalities after spraying. Fish bred and raised away from the plantation in controlled trials were normal.



Jolyon Burnett, chief executive of industry group the Australian Macadamia Society, last year said the matter was serious. "Anything that affects the health of our members, their families and the community in which they operate is of significant concern."



A taskforce of government, industry and independent scientists, established by the Queensland government, is expected to submit a final report next month.

                                               

our ever expanding city

THE following is an article in The Age about public housing in Melbourne. It makes me ask- how big do we really want our city to get? The picture underneath it- of Prahran in the future- looks a bit scary to me. Where will all the new residents' cars go, for a start?

'HUNDREDS of homes will be added to three of Melbourne's largest public housing estates - at a time when the waiting list for public housing is nearing 40,000.
The Fitzroy, Prahran and Richmond estates will be developed in partnership with private enterprise.
The federal government is to announce today a $175.3 million contribution to initial funding for the project, which will see an extra 547 public, community and affordable homes built in its first stage. The state government has not announced how much it will contribute.
The waiting list grew by 1013 in the three months to March, from 38,781 to 39,794. At that rate, the new capacity will already have been eaten up. No tenant will move in this year.

(The Age, May 17)

severn cullis-suzuki speaks to the UN

Following is an incredibly passionate speech given to a large audience by a 12 year old girl, clearly worried about the future. Especially powerful is the section beginning: 'You teach us..' followed by 'Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?'. Suzuki is also on youtube.com at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZsDliXzyAY

By SEVERN CULLIS-SUZUKI


Address to the Plenary Session, Earth Summit, Rio Centro, Brazil 1992


Hello, I'm Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. - The Environmental Children's organisation.


We are a group of twelve and thirteen-year-olds from Canada trying to make a difference:


Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me.

We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways. Coming here today, I have no hidden agenda. I am fighting for my future.



Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points on the stock market. I am here to speak for all generations to come.



I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard.



I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. We cannot afford to be not heard.



I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air because I don't know what chemicals are in it.



I used to go fishing in Vancouver with my dad until just a few years ago we found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear about animals and plants going exinct every day - vanishing forever.



In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterfilies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.



Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age?



All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want and all the solutions.



I'm only a child and I don't have all the solutions, but I want you to realise, neither do you!



You don't know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer.

You don't know how to bring salmon back up a dead stream.

You don't know how to bring back an animal now extinct.

And you can't bring back forests that once grew where there is now desert.

If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it!



Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organisers, reporters or poiticians - but really you are mothers and fathers, brothers and sister, aunts and uncles - and all of you are somebody's child.



I'm only a child yet I know we are all part of a family, five billion strong, in fact, 30 million species strong and we all share the same air, water and soil - borders and governments will never change that.



I'm only a child yet I know we are all in this together and should act as one single world towards one single goal.



In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid to tell the world how I feel.



In my country, we make so much waste, we buy and throw away, buy and htrow away, and yet northern countries will not share with the needy. Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to lose some of our wealth, afraid to share.



In Canada, we live the privileged life, with plenty of food, water and shelter - we have watches, bicycles, computers and television sets.



Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time with some children living on the streets.



And this is what one child told us: "I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicine, shelter and love and affection."



If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everyting still so greedy?



I can't stop thinking that these children are my age, that it makes a tremendous difference where you are born, that I could be one of those children living in the Favellas of Rio; I could be a child starving in Somalia; a victim of war in the Middle East or a beggar in India.



I'm only a child yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this earth would be!



At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us to behave in the world. You teach us:



not to fight with others,

to work things out,

to respect others,

to clean up our mess,

not to hurt other creatures

to share - not be greedy

Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?



Do not forget why you're attending these conferences, who you're doing this for - we are your own children.



You are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying "everyting's going to be alright', "we're doing the best we can" and "it's not the end of the world".



But I don't think you can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your list of priorities? My father always says "You are what you do, not what you say."



Well, what you do makes me cry at night. you grown ups say you love us. I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words. Thank you for listening.



Ms. Suzuki is the daughter of David Suzuki. At the age of 12 she spoke at the Earth Summit in Brazil. She received a standing ovation.