Re: Black swan issue in Tauranga Harbour. Being someone who was born and lived all my life on the Tauranga Harbour, I would say Ken Molloy's article is of more truth than Fish and Game's reply called ‘Putting the record straight' about the swan problem in our harbour.

Saying that we are plucking our knowledge out of thin air is an insult to someone like myself, who has fished and hunted on the harbour as long as I can remember of my 75 years.

No scientific research is as good as hands-on knowledge. Not only is the poop doing damage more so it's the decimating of the eel grass, which is a water filter and safety net for juvenile fish, And also the complete destruction of the crab population.

Where you could walk on the sand flats at low tide and see thousands of crabs heading for their protective holes – now after walking from Tanners Point to Bowentown recently with a colleague we did not see one live crab. We know that a certain problem comes from the land, this is being addressed so when is Fish and Game going to do the job they are paid for and clean up this problem before it is too late. Forget comparing us to the lakes' problems, come and walk the beaches that are our concern to see for themselves.

R Allan, Katikati.