Recently, Duncan Adams caught up with Mosman residents Guido and Michelle Belgornio-Nettis.
Guido has lived in the Clontarf and Chinaman’s Beach area for more than 60 years. Being born in Clontarf, Guido remembers Middle Harbour how it was.
“When I grew up, there were sea grasses all the way through Middle Harbour. From Clontarf, covering Wyargine Point, Chinaman’s beach and all the way to Grotto Point, and now it is all gone,” he said.
He also remembers the water being so plentiful with fish that commercial fishing vessels trawled the inner harbour.
In the past 60 years Guido has noticed a significant change in the way we Sydneysiders use the harbour.
As the affluence of Sydney grew, so too did the number and the size of the boats.
A significant inflexion point noted by Guido was in the lead up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The Australian Olympic Committee and the NSW State Government realised they needed to clean up the harbour to host water-based Olympic events.
The success of cleaning up Sydney Harbour meant that even more people wanted to be on and in the waters of Sydney Harbour.
“You could say that we have over-loved our beautiful harbour,” said Guido.
On warm summer weekends Guido and Michelle see significant boat traffic in the area, with some even tied up to the Chinaman’s Beach marine exclusion buoys, which then drag the buoys and anchor blocks out into the bay.
“Essentially the increased number of motorboats, where I have counted over 100 around Castle Rock and in Chinaman’s Beach, have dragged and pulled all the sea grasses out with their anchors,” he said.
What was once covered in seagrass meadows that supported an array of aquatic life such as turtles, weedy sea dragons, sponges, macro algae, invertebrates such as crabs is now a barren, sandy seabed.
Guido and Michelle are passionate ocean people. They are avid sailors (Guido is World champion Farr 40 sailor), paddlers and swimmers and are strong supporters of establishing an aquatic reserve around Chinaman’s Beach, Edwards Beach and Rocky Point.
“We need to see a return of the biodiversity - the range of fish and other sea creatures that previously existed in Middle Harbour when I was a young boy. It can happen and we need to ensure we preserve the marine environment so that our grandchildren can enjoy the benefits of a diverse and health marine environment that I grew up with.”
“There is no doubt, that preserving this area, and limiting boat traffic, will lead to increased regeneration of sea grasses, and with that, a greater biodiversity of marine life.”
Recently, Duncan Adams caught up with Mosman residents Guido and Michelle Belgornio-Nettis.
Guido has lived in the Clontarf and Chinaman’s Beach area for more than 60 years. Being born in Clontarf, Guido remembers Middle Harbour how it was.
“When I grew up, there were sea grasses all the way through Middle Harbour. From Clontarf, covering Wyargine Point, Chinaman’s beach and all the way to Grotto Point, and now it is all gone,” he said.
He also remembers the water being so plentiful with fish that commercial fishing vessels trawled the inner harbour.
In the past 60 years Guido has noticed a significant change in the way we Sydneysiders use the harbour.
As the affluence of Sydney grew, so too did the number and the size of the boats.
A significant inflexion point noted by Guido was in the lead up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The Australian Olympic Committee and the NSW State Government realised they needed to clean up the harbour to host water-based Olympic events.
The success of cleaning up Sydney Harbour meant that even more people wanted to be on and in the waters of Sydney Harbour.
“You could say that we have over-loved our beautiful harbour,” said Guido.
On warm summer weekends Guido and Michelle see significant boat traffic in the area, with some even tied up to the Chinaman’s Beach marine exclusion buoys, which then drag the buoys and anchor blocks out into the bay.
“Essentially the increased number of motorboats, where I have counted over 100 around Castle Rock and in Chinaman’s Beach, have dragged and pulled all the sea grasses out with their anchors,” he said.
What was once covered in seagrass meadows that supported an array of aquatic life such as turtles, weedy sea dragons, sponges, macro algae, invertebrates such as crabs is now a barren, sandy seabed.
Guido and Michelle are passionate ocean people. They are avid sailors (Guido is World champion Farr 40 sailor), paddlers and swimmers and are strong supporters of establishing an aquatic reserve around Chinaman’s Beach, Edwards Beach and Rocky Point.
“We need to see a return of the biodiversity - the range of fish and other sea creatures that previously existed in Middle Harbour when I was a young boy. It can happen and we need to ensure we preserve the marine environment so that our grandchildren can enjoy the benefits of a diverse and health marine environment that I grew up with.”
“There is no doubt, that preserving this area, and limiting boat traffic, will lead to increased regeneration of sea grasses, and with that, a greater biodiversity of marine life.”
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