Burkhart Fisheries offer to put bird spotter in front of bulldozer

Saturday, 20 January 2018

The banded dotterels, a threatened species, breed and nest on Ward Beach between June and January. (File photo)

A crayfishing company that has to use beach bulldozers to get boats in the water has offered to send a bird spotter along to ensure the birds are safe.

The bird spotter is one of several measures Burkhart Fisheries has proposed in the hopes of convincing the Marlborough District Council to lift an Environment Court order preventing the company from using bulldozers on Ward Beach, in south Marlborough.

The council sought the order in December, concerned the bulldozers could disturb nesting banded dotterels or variable oystercatchers, which are threatened species.

Burkhart Fisheries has been struggling to launch its boats since the seabed rose up to 3 metres in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2016, leaving their usual launch site out of action.

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Burkhart Fisheries used bulldozers to drag their boats up Ward Beach to a new launch site. (File photo)

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Burkhart Fisheries owners Trevor Burkart, left, and Dennis Burkhart, employ more than 40 people, mostly from Ward, south Marlborough. (File photo)

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A banded dotterel hops over a track left by a bulldozer on Ward Beach. (File photo)

The commercial crayfishing company applied to form a 1.5-kilometre 'paper road' from Ward Beach to near the Chancet Rocks scientific reserve, but the council turned down the resource consent application in August.

The company has appealed that decision. As a temporary solution, their fishing boats and trailer were dragged along the beach by bulldozers to the new launch site in December.

Burkhart Fisheries managing director Dennis Burkhart said at the time fishers were legally allowed to drive on the beach to launch their boats.

But Forest and Bird called for the council to take action out of concern for birds nesting on the beach.

Environment Judge Jon Jackson issued Burkhart Fisheries a cease and desist order just before Christmas.

But if an ecological management plan that protected the birds was submitted by Burkhart Fisheries, the Environment Court would amend the order to allow the company to continue.

Ecologist Dr Des Smith found two adult dotterel and a juvenile moving around the beach, a variable oystercatcher and three South Island pied oystercatchers which did not appear to be nesting.

Smith and Burkhart Fisheries then proposed a list of 12 conditions.

The bulldozers would have their blades up, and 'drive very slowly … giving the banded dotterels ample time to move out of the way'.

'One staff member should walk in front with a pair of binoculars and sight all three banded dotterel,' the plan said.

'It is important not to be fooled by an adult's distraction display. If a bird is standing its ground and cheeping at the staff member, they should signal to halt the vehicle and then carefully look around for the other two birds.'

The bird spotter would need to lead the bulldozer all the way up the beach, the conditions said.

The plan was being reviewed by the council's in-house scientist. If the scientist approved, the council would then go back to the Environment Court so the order could be amended, allowing the company to continue using the beach to launch its boats.