Mud Oyster fishery destroyed in South Australia

It is not known where or when the first wild oysters were harvested for sale in the colony of South Australia. It is recorded that Edward John Eyre – the explorer- obtained some for his food supplies at Streaky Bay in 1840.

By 1870 there were 30 sailing cutters of varying length from 25-40 feet dredging in the Coffin, Kellidie and Dutton Bay area, which were the most productive areas in the colony A township known as Oyster Town was established at Kellidie Bay -the residents erecting huts, bringing dogs, cats and horses and anything that was needed to sustain life.

In 1886 Mr Chris Dabovich was appointed Inspector of Oyster Fisheries to oversee operations and collect the annual licence fee of 40 shillings ( $4 ).. He is remembered for his efforts to control overfishing but sadly by then, it was too late. The native oyster fishery was the first fishery to have been exploited by the early settlers of South Australia and was the first to be destroyed by overfishing

Starwood in Global Clean-Up

Roderick Eime

What does any hotel do with the hundreds, often thousands, of barely used soaps and amenities?

In Starwood’s 176,000 North American rooms, the landfill waste amounts to over 500 tonnes annually just from amenities alone.

Enter the Clean the World Foundation, a “social enterprise committed to saving lives and protecting our planet. It offers sustainable, socially responsible, and charitable programs and services to the international hospitality community.”

Lofty ideals certainly, but the Foundation claims 9000 children die every day from diseases that could be prevented by basic hygiene and hand-washing. As such, they are gathering otherwise waste soap bars and recycling them into new sterilised bars for re-distribution to underprivileged and disaster-struck communities like those in Haiti, Japan, Zimbabwe, Uganda, India, Honduras, Mexico and Albania.

In the first fully corporate agreement for Clean the World, it gains access to potentially 500 Starwood hotels in North America operating under such brands as St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element SM.

“Our North American properties represent more than 176,000 rooms, each of which offer the highest quality soaps and bottled amenities to our guests on a daily basis,” says Denise Coll, president of Starwood Hotels in North America. “This partnership amplifies our commitment to corporate social responsibility, and it also should make every member of our Starwood family feel better about the role they play each day in caring for our Earth and the people who inhabit it.”

Shawn Seipler, executive director of Clean the World says, “With hotel properties throughout North America, Starwood will be able to provide an estimated 1.6 million pounds (725 tonnes) of soap annually to children and families who are desperately in need of better access to hygiene products.”

The foundation already collects soaps and waste from 900 North American properties including: Joie de Vivre (34 properties), Sage Hospitality (53) and Hersha Hotels (70). Other participating brands include Preferred, Mandarin Oriental and Harrahs.

For more information on the Clean the World Foundation, see www.cleantheworld.org

2011 Adventure Cruise Guide

The Myth of Bottled Water

The Cove - not pretty

More: www.savejapandolphins.org

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