The Queensland Greens are concerned state government spin doctors will make it appear Gladstone Harbour's fish are safer to eat than they actually are.
The comments come after Fisheries Minister Craig Wallace's office on Tuesday confirmed an independent scientific report on sick fish in Gladstone Harbour is expected to be handed to the government in the next two weeks.
Greens spokeswoman Libby Connors predicts the government will try to play down the results.
"We have had months of refusal by the government to intervene in the massive dredging program by Gladstone Ports Corporation even while there have been record deaths of sea turtles, dolphins and dugong," she said.
"They have done this by claiming the high turbidity levels were natural events and arguing there is no proof of any link between diseased marine life and turbidity."
However, Dr Connors says an interim report released earlier this month shows only three barramundi from the central Queensland harbour have undergone toxicological testing.
"We are worried that this is going to make it very difficult for the scientific panel to present any definitive findings," she said.
Greens member Andrew Jeremijenko says public statements from Mr Wallace, the Department of Environment and Resource Management and Gladstone Ports Corporation intended to reassure the public are playing down possible risks, including high turbidity and high aluminium levels.
"So it is not surprising that local fishermen are continuing to report disease in a wide variety of marine life including fish, sharks, crabs and prawns and that seafood businesses in Gladstone are being severely impacted," he said.
The Greens earlier this month criticised the panel compiling the independent report for being too close to the dredging industry.
Reports of sick marine life off Gladstone emerged in September, sparking a three-week fishing ban in the industrial city's harbour that was lifted on October 7.
Meanwhile, the CSIRO has visited Gladstone to monitor water quality around dredging projects in the harbour.
Gladstone Ports Corporation says it will make the CSIRO's findings public, likely in February.
Chief Leo Zussino said independent reports from organisations like CSIRO are "an invaluable part" of the dredging process.
"CSIRO have come on board to not only update the research on water quality and dissolved metals they did here in 1998, 2005 and 2010, but to also validate for the Gladstone community that the water testing regime we have in place is accurate, thorough and scientifically sound," he said.
AAP np/gd/mm
Front page
RSS Feed