The ABC dropped a small report late this afternoon. An issue that seems to have been lost among the current economic crisis, and carbon trading scheme – the Murray Darling river system is drying up.
The Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board says it has applied for environmental flows for sites at Hindmarsh Island and Milang on the lower reaches of the drought-stricken Murray.
The lead, oddly, skips over the major issue of the story. As the river and surrounding wetlands continue to dry up, native fish are dying along with it. It’s not until the end of the second paragraph (the whole story only covers four paragraphs) that we are told of the major problems the river is facing and the proposed solution.
River Murray environmental manager Judy Goode says 80 megalitres of water are being sought to help save native fish in wetlands.
The article reports that officials hope to be approved for their request under government drought policy.
The water would be provided under a state and federal plan that allocates environmental flows to drought-stressed regions.
Not considered a big story (dead native fish tend not to create the media storm that a bikie war shooting does) the issue is still a major one, that will unfortunately be a lost four paragraphs of filler on the ABC’s web-news.
