Tuross Head resident Peter West found a bundle of balloons bearing the North Melbourne Kangaroos football club logo under the Narooma boardwalk today.
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There were others, deflated, in the water heading out to sea, which he could not retrieve.
Formally an active member of Australian Seabird Rescue, Mr West said errant, helium-filled balloons such as these had the potential to cause great damage to the marine environment, even if they are claimed to be “biodegradable”.
“These are helium filled 'biodegradable' latex balloons,” he said. “The word 'biodegradable' should not be associated with these balloons as they take months to even partly break down in seawater.
“The balloon lobby states proudly that they break down as quickly as an oak leaf. How long does an oak leaf take to break down? How long does it take a seabird, constantly searching for food to find one and eat it?
“When these balloons are let go, most go high in the air and usually burst. When they burst, they form a shape resembling a squid, fall in the ocean and are eaten either by seabirds or fish. They cannot be digested and the bird or fish dies a slow death.”
He encouraged everyone to check out www.balloonsblow.org and to think twice before using or supporting events that use helium filled balloons, biodegradable or not.
The Narooma News endeavored to find out when the balloons could have come from, but the league-topping Kangaroos AFL side had a bye on the weekend, last playing at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne on May 21.
This is not the first time that balloons have flown in from afar sparking pollution concerns. In February 2014, a bundle of balloons featuring the words “Albury City” blew on a beach at Bermagui.
A concerned Bermagui resident contacted the Albury City Council, who confirmed there had been balloons at a football match in that city only the previous day. The city of Albury is 286km away as the crow flies.