In their second year of banding together to clean up around Salamander Bay a group of Port oyster farmers hauled close to 400 kilograms of rubbish from the mangroves, bush and waterways that they had cleared just 11 months before.
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Dean Cole from Cole Brothers Oysters, based in Karuah, said he was "surprised" to see how much rubbish was collected by the 32 volunteers that turned out to Joe Redman Reserve for the clean up on Friday, February 22.
"I didn't think we'd find as much as we did," Mr Cole said. "I was really surprised with what's been generated in the past 11 months."
About 23 oyster farmers, four NSW Department of Primary Industries - Fisheries staff, four TIDE indigenous rangers and one OceanWatch Australia member volunteered for the second annual clean up.
Together, the group collected 365kg of rubbish - 157kg more than last year.
More than 400 pieces of plastic were collected in the span of three hours including 34 straws, 28 plastic bags and an inflated Australia Day beach ball.
Heavier and larger items such as bricks, metals fragments, a stop/slow sign, some chairs and a table "pushed the scales up".
Additionally, 160 cigarette butts were collected and 192 bottles (plastic and glass).
The number of bottles collected this year, 192, compared to last, 447, was down significantly which Mr Cole said was "unsurprising" due to the popularity of the government's return and earn scheme.
Some oyster lease debris was also collected during the clean up, which was put in motion last year by the farmers, Hunter Local Land Services, DPI and OceanWatch to address community concern that oyster farming materials were being washed into the bay and wetlands.
To show their commitment to the community and environment, the groups mobilsed a large-scale clean up around Nelson Bay.
Seeing the results from last year's clean up, and enjoying the chance to socialise with each other, the farmers and groups have decided to make it an annual event.
"The water is our livelihood. If the water quality drops, our oysters suffer and so do we," Rob Redmayne from Seven Seas Oysters, based in Swan Bay, said.
"We're happy to get out there and help do out part. We pulled a fair bit out of the area. It's also good to get out and socialise with the others [farmers]."
A summary of the rubbish collected last week has been documented and will be submitted to Tangaroa Blue Foundation's Australian Marine Debris Database which analyses marine debris collected around the country.