Hail damage is the most likely cause of the gradual dying of a huge swathe of mangroves, referred to as ‘dieback’, inside the Port Stephens estuary.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It is understood that an intensive hail storm around September which hammered a 1km stretch of coastline from Taylors Beach to Cromarty Bay in Salamander caused the damage, shredding and stripping leaves from the plants and leaving scars and cuts in the bark.
The good news is that the mangroves are already showing signs of regrowth.
The hail explanation was provided by NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) staff, who had inspected the mangrove ‘dieback’ around the inner port near Taylors Beach on several occasions.
“In this case, the cause is significant damage from a hail storm several months ago. This stripped the leaves and small branches from a swathe of mangroves and casuarina trees across the area,” the DPI spokesperson said.
“Follow up inspections have found that many of the trees are showing regrowth, and NSW DPI will continue to monitor the situation.”
The environmental damage was first spotted by Nelson Bay’s Dave Connors while he was out fishing with friends just prior to Christmas.
He described the damage as “alarming and mysterious”, saying he had never seen anything like it in 30 years of boating in and around the port.
“Having spoken with other boaters, it was my guess the damage had something to do with the drought and its effect on the quality of water, I would certainly never have thought of hail damage,” Mr Connors said.
“But on closer inspection there is very little doubt that the plants have been severely impacted by hail stones.”
One of Australia’s leading authorities on mangroves, Norman Duke from MangroveWatch – a comprehensive resource focusing on the ecology and identification of mangroves, as well as practical monitoring and research initiatives – told the Examiner that the hail storm explanation had merit.
“Hail damage certainly strips avicennia (grey mangroves) of their leaves, and hail can kill trees when a storm is particularly severe – especially for mangrove species found up north,” he said.
MangroveWatch coordinator Jock Mackenzie said that the drought had caused ‘dieback’ in other parts of the state.
“I’ve just returned from Wapengo Lake near Tathra, where it appears that a similar dieback pattern of large avicennia has started and I have heard reports of similar dieback near Merimbula and Narooma,” he said.
“My first guess on this dieback would be something climatic and rising sea levels or a period of increased salinity caused by drought.”
Mangroves are essential habitat for fish, nurturing around 75 per cent of coastal fishery catches.
