Environmental activists have refused to remove items they attached to Rakaia’s refurbished giant salmon.
Greenpeace sparked fury in the riverside town when it defaced the icon with two pieces made of cardboard and paper about 8am Sunday morning.
One was a white circle with a cross, put over one of the statue’s eyes, to give the appearance of a cartoon dead fish.
The other was a speech bubble, put on one of the fins, saying ‘‘Fonterra killed my family’’, conveying Greenpeace’s message that dairying is draining the river dry.
On Monday the speech bubble fell down in the rain, leaving bare the double-sided tape which it had been attached by.
The Ashburton Courier asked Greenpeace freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe on Monday if the organisation would now remove the items, considering it was going to cost the Ashburton District Council ratepayer money to do it.
He said there was no intention to do so, as the organisation wanted to continue to make its point.
‘‘We want to be talking now about what we can do to protect the Rakaia, and reduce dairy herd size,’’ Appelbe said.
‘‘Rakaia’s famous salmon fishing competition is set to take place in two weeks, but for the first time, it won’t involve any actual fishing.’’
Appelbe said activists did not climb the statue but he would not reveal how they installed the items. He said instead the focus had to be on the message the organisation was trying to get across.
An eyewitness said the activists stood on the ground and used long extendable metal poles to attach the items.
A district council spokesperson said on Monday it planned to remove the items on Wednesday, but did not yet know the cost.
Residents have widely condemned Greenpeace’s actions, including Rakaia River Fishing Promotions members who said on social media they did not support vandalism, nor hurting a small rural community to make a political point.
Mayor Liz McMillan said the matter had been reported to police.
‘‘I support the right to protest, but we’re disappointed to see the salmon defaced, especially after so much community pride, care and goodwill went into its restoration,’’ McMillan said.
Christchurch ecologist and angler Peter Langlands said while irrigation schemes were a factor in the overall health of the river, conditions at sea were having more of an affect on salmon numbers.
‘‘I think Greenpeace has got it wrong, the science really does show it’s sea conditions,’’ Langlands said.
While the Rakaia salmon fishery was ‘‘a ghost’’ of what it used to be, this season was ‘‘a slight improvement’’ on last. The few numbers being caught had weights averaging three to four kilograms, compared to eight to nine kilograms in the mid-1990s.
Meanwhile, police say they are ‘‘following lines of enquiry to locate those responsible’’.
The Courier understands police at the scene on Monday were handed the speech bubble that fell off the statue by a resident who retrieved it.
