An unusually high number of sand snail egg masses found on the Carrum shoreline on April 15 prompted an email enquiry to Museums Victoria for advice on when spawning occurs. Impressively, they replied the very next day with the most up-to-date … [Read more...]
The slick that got away!
Every fisho has an unbelievable story about the one that got away. But did you hear the one about the diesel slick that got away? Strange but apparently true, when the Lady Cheryl ran aground at 1am on March 21, it wasn't until April 5 that the … [Read more...]
Diesel risk to Port Phillip Dolphins
When the Lady Cheryl, a 157 tonne trawler ran aground on Corsair Rock at 1am on March 24 it triggered a serious challenge to our marine incident response teams. Plucking a crew of 6 people from a sinking boat in a 6 metre swell in the middle of the … [Read more...]
More toxic mud to be dumped in the bay
Over the past 70 years millions of tonnes of contaminated mud have been dredged from the Port of Melbourne and dumped in Port Phillip Bay. Meanwhile, the sand flathead population has declined 80% since the 1960s and we don't know why. The Port … [Read more...]
Sand flathead & mud ghost shrimp – why have they gone?
Populations of sand flathead (once considered the most common fish in the Bay) and mud ghost shrimp (once the most common benthic organism in the Bay) both declined dramatically between the 1970s and 1990s. Although a study is underway to investigate … [Read more...]
After the rain
Recent floods across eastern Australia have resulted in the sad loss of human life and the cost of recovery will affect us all. Perhaps the only positive thing to arise from the devastation is that it's clear we have to rethink our attitude to … [Read more...]
The mystery of the disappearing Flathead
Sand Flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) were one of the most commonly caught fish in the Bay. But since the 1950's, their Bay population is believed to have declined more than 90%, cause unknown. SF's were most abundant in the Bay on the muddy bottom … [Read more...]
Like sands through the hourglass…
As bemused locals watch Portsea beach disappear, the Office of Environmental Monitor is uncertain as to the cause of the ongoing erosion. Despite this uncertainty, and against the tide of informed public opinion, the OEM has been reported as ruling … [Read more...]
Davey’s Bay cliff collapse – keep clear!
If your planning a stroll on the beach at Davey's Bay, keep well clear of the base of the cliff! A chunk of the cliff face, around 30m long, collapsed onto the beach a few days ago, and it appears that another large slab is likely to fall. If … [Read more...]
‘average tide’ hides local reality
The fact that the tidal range at 'the Entrance' is around twice that at Port Melbourne highlights the fact that there are very different tidal zones in the Bay. Incoming tides are impeded by the Bay's narrow Entrance, and then by 'the Sands', the … [Read more...]
Portsea paradise lost
The disappearance of thousands of tonnes of Portsea Beach sand since the dredging at Port Phillip Heads has left locals looking for answers. Was it the wind, higher tides, or the swell that took the beach? The mystery has deepened with the recent … [Read more...]
Beach erosion – it’ll all come out in the wash!
Beachgoers around the Bay have reported higher high tides and lower low tides since the Channel Deepening at the Entrance was completed in September 2008. There's also been unprecedented beach erosion, particularly at Portsea. When waves break … [Read more...]
More contaminated Yarra silt dumped in PPB
Just when you're told the dredging is over... a further 300,000 m3 of 'contaminated and uncontaminated' Yarra sediments are to be dredged and dumped in the Bay in the so-called 'Confined Aquatic Disposal Area' (CAD). But how do we know the toxins … [Read more...]
