Deaths have occurred among local nipper, oyster, cockle and periwinkle populations.

MidCoast Council natural systems manager, Gerard Tuckerman said the main issue facing Smith Lake was lack of rain.

“The water levels are the lowest we’ve ever seen,” Mr Tuckerman said. 

“We’ve had very dry conditions and a very hot summer with a lot of sun, so the evaporation rate is really high.”

Mr Tuckerman said it was these factors that have led to the reported deaths, with invertebrates in the shallower areas of the lake dying as their habitats become exposed. 

Responding to suggestions made on Facebook the lake had been mismanaged by council – including being re-opened in the wrong location –  Mr Tuckerman said such claims were ill-informed and incorrect.

“We have a group, including commercial fishermen, community members and the marine parks, who we advise and receive information from,” he said.

“I can tell you that the commercial fishermen, who are longstanding in the lake, are very happy with where the lake gets opened.”

Third generation commercial fishers, Les and Cath Cheers from Smiths Lake, agreed  council has been acting in the best interests of the lake.

They also agreed the dry conditions were the biggest concern for the lake at the moment. 

However, they did point to a number of other factors that are affecting, or have the potential to effect, the lake in a negative way.

The first and foremost of these is the amount of vehicles driving on the exposed sand channel that has formed between Symes Bay and the eastern side of Smiths Lake, effectively splitting the lake in two.

“It’s awful to see people driving on the lake like that,” Mrs Cheers said.

Having witnessed large numbers of vehicles coming and going over the sand channel throughout summer, Mrs Cheers said people were not only disobeying signs that clearly prohibit driving on the channel, they were putting the lake’s delicate ecosystem under pressure.

Mr Cheers also said that while he believed fish in the lake wer not at risk from the present dry conditions he does worry that if heavy rains occur, a stagnant dam behind the lake could overflow into the Symes Bay side of the lake and put fish at risk due to its heavy algae content.

He would like to see a fish passage dug through the sand channel between the two bodies of water in order to give the fish a greater chance of survival if such an event occurs.

While Mr Tuckerman believed this idea may have some merit, he said it would have to be approved by the various departments involved in the management of Smiths Lake, including the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park and NSW Crown Land, before it could be approved.

By the time this happens he believes it’s likely the lake would have received substantial rainfall.

In the meantime, council and the associated departments involved in the management of Smiths Lake will continue to monitor the situation.

Les and Kath Cheers will also be holding a community meeting in Smiths Lake in March to discuss the past, present and future of the lake.