Mystery marine disease off Gladstone

Fishing in the World Heritage-listed waters off the coast of Gladstone is a business for many and a popular pastime for locals, but ever since the outbreak of disease in marine life, the industry there has been in panic mode.

An unprecedented number of fish with red spots, lesions and parasites, as well as dead dugongs and turtles, have been found this year.
Fishermen and conservationists blame the state of the marine life on dredging to widen Gladstone Harbour to accommodate carrier ships servicing the booming liquefied natural gas and coal seam gas industries.
But the Gladstone Port Corporation does not believe the dredging is causing the disease in fish, and authorities say last year's wet summer may be a factor in the poor health of the harbour.
Water testing shows a number of sites within the harbour exceeded national guidelines for aluminium, copper and chromium. Experts say the levels pose a minimal risk to marine life; however, the Queensland Government has appointed an independent scientific panel to conduct more research.
View a gallery of photos of diseased marine life found in Gladstone waters, interspersed with quotes from local fishermen and stakeholders.

 We've been a local business for 20 years now, and for something to just come in and take it away from you, it's just heartbreaking ... I've got a young family, I've got to support them, and the pressure's immense, I can tell you that. I guess worst of all, it's an environmental disaster. There's no need for those things to be floating belly up in this harbour.

 I had some observers from the Queensland Government onboard the boat again and we went out, and lo and behold, we started pulling [up] bull sharks with really bad lesions on them. Their jaws dropped. There were a quick couple of phone calls to Brisbane - they told them to take the samples straight away.
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