The Impact of Ex-Cyclone Alfred on the Northern New South Wales Commercial Fisheries

 March, in the Northern NSW Coast, was dominated by moderate onshore Easterly winds. This pattern is typical and is set up by a strong monsoon trough located over Northern Australia and large slow moving  dominant high pressure systems travelling over southern Australia. These weather patterns are more pronounced during La Nina events. This creates an ideal environment for the formation of cyclones in the northern parts of the country. Although not rare it is extremely rare for the SE QLD and NE NSW coasts to become directly impacted by a cyclonic weather event crossing this far south. This major event caused widespread damage to our region which will take weeks to repair. The erosion to our beaches, and damage to infrastructure will impact our tourist trade for a long time. Hopefully all forms of government and business can band together, and work collectively towards a recovery. Michael’s Seafood wishes all of our customers a speedy recovery and any help that may be required. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

How does a weather event of this magnitude affect local seafood supply?

Short Term

Moderate to major flooding across most river systems from Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie has resulted in water quality issues and low oxygen levels impacting stocks. Some rivers have seen moderate to major fish kills which is disheartening.

Gale force winds creating rough ocean conditions that reduce the opportunities for local fishermen to head to sea.

Medium to Long Term

Rough seas and floods are a common and necessary part of the sustainability of our ecosystem. The introduction and mixing of nutrients is critical for the ocean life cycle. Sediments washed out of the rivers provide a rich feeding ground for our prawn fishery. Many small fish and crustaceans are washed out as well providing an abundance of food for larger predatory fish. Rough ocean conditions expose reefs and dislodge food particles ideal for smaller reef dwelling species.

What can we expect?

Hopefully, with the onset of Autumn, our dominant weather patterns should shift towards a typically productive time of year. Prawn catches this season have been exceptional both in quality and quantity. We are hoping for this to maintain, along with this we may see a run of ocean school prawns. Following a flood, catches of calamari and octopus may increase, however sand crab catches may be less as they do not benefit from the dirty water.  

Once the ocean settles down and water begins to clear the larger predatory fish make a reappearance. As food sources improve smaller baitfish species make their way back to the near-shore reefs creating an environment in which Mulloway, Snapper and Mackerel can thrive.

All local commercial fishermen are keen to get back to work and supplying our beautiful region with the worlds finest products! Feel free to get into contact with the team to enquire about any local, seasonal products.

Warm regards, Michael Rupnik.

Michael's Seafood