The Otago Fish and Game Council, New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association and Alpine Fishing Guides this week opposed the application of Cold Gold Clutha Ltd to move its dredge up the Clutha River.
Otago Fish and Game Council environmental officer Caelan Church commended the company for some measures proposed to protect the environment, but said more could be done to mitigate the dredging operation’s impacts, particularly regarding its impact on trout spawning and habitat.
The applicant had excluded ecologically sensitive areas, such as the Luggate Creek and Lindis River confluences and the Bendigo Wetland.
The company also said there would be a 20m exclusion zone around any tributary confluence greater than 1m wide.
These measures were commendable and appreciated, Mr Church said.
However, he said dredging would still occur where spawning and rearing of juvenile trout was common.
And further there would be "few locations where the applicant will find no spawning".
"During spawning, dredging should only occur at depths greater than 1m to prevent the disturbance of spawning trout," he said.
New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association president Craig Smith said the association was concerned about disturbance of the riverbed and the impact of the operation on the scenic environment "used by our members for tourism purposes".
He called for a shorter consent duration so the effects of the operation could be monitored and potentially mitigated.
Alpine Fishing Guides owner Greg Dougherty called for the application to be declined due to its impact on neighbouring residents, the river’s recreational users — including hunters, kayakers, swimmers and fishermen — and its affect on aquatic life "including insects and many fish species".
"This is environmental terrorism," he said.
Additionally, Central Otago Whitewater Incorporated opposed the application in its entirety due to the negative affect a dredge on the river would have on "the nature experience" encountered by kayakers.
Paddle Wanaka owner Bex Thornton said to allow the operation to proceed would be "short-sighted and unappealing".
After dredging for gold in the Clutha River between Roxburgh Dam and Tuapeka Mouth for the past 10 years, Cold Gold Clutha Ltd has applied for consent to move upstream and operate from the Luggate Bridge to the confluence of the Clutha and Lindis River.
When the submission was lodged earlier this year, director Peter Hall said he initially hoped to dredge in the Upper Clutha River later this year but those hopes were quashed by "the sheer bureaucracy" of the consenting process.
The company’s operations between Roxburgh Dam and Tuapeka Mouth were recently re-consented and will expire in 2035, authorising mining over more than 900ha of the riverbed.
