Reef Champions nominated
Four Fitzroy finalists have been nominated for the 2019 Reef Champion awards for their roles in cleaning our waterways of debris, fertilisers and sediment.
Rockhampton
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Founders of the Jolly Rogers Fishing Club, Neil Xxavier and Stephanie Foote, are "proud and honoured" to be nominated for the 2019 Reef Champion Awards.
They will join Ms Ellie Carter, Mr Neil Farmer and Graham Volck in representing the Fitzroy River region at the awards in Mackay later this month.
In only three years, the JRFC has rallied both commerical and recreational fishers to clear the Fitzroy waterways of debris, to feed the homeless, to salvage recyclables for profit, and to open an op shop in North Rockhampton.
The groups' Wednesday ventures have removed over 100 tonnes of debris from the Toonooba (Fitzroy River), and attracted the attention of a Netflix series producer.
This week, they were filmed as part of an upcoming 11-part series into reef health.
JRFC also advocates for the grassroots live tuna industry which they say under threat from government legislation and competition from overseas companies.
They will be joined at the Reef Champion Awards ceremony by two people closely associated with the Fitzroy Basin Assocation.
Staff member Ellie Cater is described as a tremendous advocate for the agricultural industry who believes holistic approaches hold the key to a sustainable future.
Graham Volck, a previous FBA board member, conducted applied nitrogen trials on his cotton farm near Emerald which saved between $68 to $80 per hectare compared to his previous practices.
Another landowner, Neil Farmer, has been nominated for his work on his property 45 km north of Rockhampton, preventing an estimated 4.1 tonnes of sediment leaving his property through waterways every year.
The Reef Champion awards is an initiative of the Reef Alliance with support from the Australian aand Queensland governments.
See tomorrow's Morning Bulletin report on CQ volunteers cleaning waterways to protect marine turtles.
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