Dr Michael Morris Animal welfare writer nzchas.canterbury

The annual cull of black swans in the Tauranga harbour made it to the national press and certainly did not put the Bay of Plenty in a very good light. In the United Kingdom these majestic animals are protected by law. According to tradition, unmarked swans in Britain are owned by the Queen, and Her Majesty apparently takes a dim view of anyone interfering with them.

Those supporting the swan cull spout the standard spiel about how swans are destroying the pristine environment of Tauranga Harbour, and eating all the sea grass. It is surprising how so many people suddenly become environmental zealots when they want to scapegoat some edible creature, but otherwise seem blind to the environmental effects of their own lifestyle.

Seagrass for example is more at threat from leaking stormwater drains than from swans. And most of the pollution in Tauranga harbour is not related to swans but to the proliferation of sea lettuce, which is not only a festering eyesore, but chokes the harbour of biodiversity. While the official regional council reaction to sea lettuce blooms is to blame the weather, research from Tauranga and other harbours strongly implicates nutrient based pollution running into waterways, specifically from non point sources. These include storm water overflows, urban development, and – importantly – intensification of farming along the harbour catchment.

Swan numbers can quite easily be kept down by pricking the eggs. And for those who somehow consider that they have not done their bit for the environment if they have not blasted a swan or two, how about cutting back on consuming the products of intensive farming practices that pollute the Tauranga and other harbours, including beef, dairy and intensively farmed pigs and chickens.

It would also be useful to support local and regional initiatives that protect the harbour from nutrient based pollution. This means ensuring that there is adequate riparian protection from nutrient runoff, that the Clean Stream Accord is properly enforced, and that any farming operations comply with resource consent conditions. It is also time for local and regional councils to place greater restrictions on destructive urban development and factory farming, and to upgrade the sewage and stormwater infrastructure. In an election year, it is also important to support parties with a track record in standing up for both animals and the environment.