Bruce Kendall, a member of the Howick Local Board and co-chair of the Tamaki Estuary Environmental Forum, is advocating for more action to address pollution in east Auckland’s waterways. He believes that Auckland Council has not adequately addressed pollution in the Tamaki Estuary for many years. Local boards in the area have voted to push the council to fund investigations into pollution and create a plan to address it. Kendall points to anecdotal evidence of the estuary’s degradation, noting the disappearance of yellow-bellied flounder due to pollution killing fish food sources. Recent coverage of eel deaths in local waterways has raised concerns about pollution in the estuary, with Kendall attributing some of these deaths to over-heating stormwater ponds depleting oxygen levels. He emphasizes the importance of addressing water quality issues to protect endangered species like longfin eels, orca, dolphins, sharks, seals, and endangered birds in the Tamaki Estuary.
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