Penguins have been identified as the number one 'icon species' in Victoria. A day at the beach will be remembered for the murky water and dead penguins.

 
EARTHCARE ST KILDA POSITION STATEMENT ON THE IMPACTS OF THE PORT PHILLIP SHIPPING CHANNEL DEEPENING

Introduction
  Earthcare St Kilda has major concerns in regard to the impact of the Shipping Channel deepening proposal on the Port Phillip Bay ecology. We fear oil spills, toxic algal blooms, ships running aground, sick and dying penguins, water that is murky and unsafe for swimming and release of pollutants such as lead, Mercury and DDT. These are the very real risks of the Channel deepening project.
Earthcare St Kilda is alarmed that the State Government has pre-empted the Environmental Effects Statement for the proposed channel deepening, by announcing that it is prepared to commit itself to a project that could have such disastrous consequences.
Earthcare's background
Earthcare St Kilda is a community environment group based in the City of Port Phillip. Earthcare has studied and protected the Little Penguin colony on the St Kilda breakwater over the last eighteen years. We have also studied and protected the ecology that supports the penguins, with a particular focus on the sea-grass beds, water-quality testing and North Pacific sea-star eradication.
This research and protective work is part of a broader involvement in practical conservation. Earthcare's other projects have included extensive Natural Heritage conservation throughout the City of Port Phillip, community education and the initiation of cutting edge projects such as the "EcoHouse Project" that retrofitting the Port Phillip EcoCentre into a model sustainable building.
Earthcare St Kilda has taken a strong interest in the proposed deepening of the Great Shipping Channel by the Port of Melbourne Corporation. We have invited the Port of Melbourne Authority to address an Earthcare meeting, attended all Port of Melbourne Corporation public meetings, studied the Key Effects statement, attended the "Blue Wedges" public meeting, and studied the 1996 Port Phillip Bay Environmental Effects Study undertaken by the CSIRO.
Potential impacts of the proposed channel deepening:
Impacts of increased turbidity on aquatic flora and fauna
The proposal would involve the removal of 40 million cubic metres of sand, clay and rock from the seabed and ongoing dredging operations. This would inevitably increase turbidity (murkiness) of the water over significant areas of the Bay.

 
Increased turbidity will reduce light penetration in the water column thereby limiting photosynthesis. This will cause reduced primary production of phytoplankton, macroalgae and seagrasses, and therefore reduced opportunities for the Bay species that feed directly on or among them.
Of particular concern to Earthcare is the decreased foraging ability for species such as penguins, which rely on good visibility to hunt successfully. If the channel deepening goes ahead and creates long-term high turbidity conditions, the St Kilda Penguin colony could be at risk of starvation
Reduced nutrient processing capacity
The plant and animal life on the bottom of the Port Phillip Bay - the "bottom ecosystem, is critical for the long-term function of water quality and aesthetic value of Port Phillip Bay" according to Dr. Graham Harris. "What you see is maintained by what we can't see. The 1996 CSIRO Port Phillip Bay Environmental Effects Study categorically recommended that dredging be minimized in order to protect this vital Ecosystem function" (4).
 
 
seagrass bed in St Kilda Harbour.
Re-suspension of Heavy metals and all classes of pollutants
The seabed in some areas of Port Phillip Bay is known to contain toxic materials, much of which, at present, is found in sediments in a reasonably stable condition. Pollutants of significance include lead, mercury, TBT (from ships) DDT, Cadmium, petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons (3). They are concentrated in the sediments of the harbours, drains and creek-mouths, where the fresh-water meets the salt-water. (3)
Channel deepening activities would inevitably reintroduce immeasurable quantities of suspended particles and pollutants such as heavy metals into the water column. Marine animals would be exposed to these toxic materials in the water and through the food chain. Fish accumulate many of the chemicals from polluted environments. From time to time elevated levels of pollutants have been found in fish from Port Phillip Bay (3).
The disturbance of these toxic sediments, especially in and around the Yarra River, if not handled properly, are likely to significantly increase the levels found in various fish species. These pollutants will then pass up the food chain, potentially affecting species such as water birds, rakali, dolphins, penguins and humans.
Increased risk of oil spills
The passage through the Port Phillip Heads is a difficult and dangerous one. If the main channel is dredged to allow ships with a draft of 14 metre to enter and depart there is a significantly increased risk of those ships grounding if they get out of the main shipping channel. There are many causes for such deviation from the main channel, they include rainsqualls and fog obscuring beacons and lights, unexpected currents, mechanical and communication breakdowns and human error.
Were any large vessel to run aground at the Heads the consequent environmental damage could be an environmental and economic disaster. The ship could become a total loss. In the event of an oil tanker grounding the environmental damage would last for many decades as evidenced in other parts of the world.
No seasonal 'window of opportunity' when the works would not cause serious harm
The channel deepening works are proposed to take more than two years to complete. From an environmental point of view, all seasons appear to be unsuitable for various reasons (see below):
 
Spring and summer is characterised by:

· breeding season for penguins when they rely on maximum food intake.
· Heavy rainfall events, which wash relatively high nutrient loads into the Bay
· Increased sunlight hours per day which, combining with warmer water temperatures and increased nutrient loads, may create toxic algal blooms. This will compound the issues associated with increased turbidity
· Predominantly south to south-westerly winds, generating wave action which transports macroalgaes, dead animals and sediments towards northeastern bayside beaches
· Increased numbers of beach goers and recreational swimming
· Increased numbers of recreational anglers
Autumn is characterised by:

· Penguins requiring optimum feeding conditions (vulnerable to starvation) following substantial loss of weight and condition during their seasonal moult (2).
· Primary producers being limited by lower water temperatures
Winter is characterised by:
 

· Northerly winds
· Phillip Island & St Kilda penguins relying on Port Phillip Bay fish stocks to recover from moult stress, and attain breeding condition (4)
· Colder water temperatures
· Absence of heavy thunderstorms: a greater frequency of minor rainfall events
· Fewer hours of sunlight per day
· Increased sightings of dolphins in top end of bay suggesting a seasonal reliance on fish stocks in this area


A St Kilda Little Penguin
Impacts will not be localised only
Port Phillip Bay is well documented as being subject to strong winds and swells. Due to the relative shallowness of the bay, these can stir up the bottom sediments and make the water murky. In addition, heavy rainstorms deliver tonnes of silts from the Yarra and other streams affecting substantial areas of the Bay. The Hobson's Bay area will be most affected by the dredging at the northern end.
Radio tracking of the St Kilda penguins in 1995 found them exclusively in Hobson's Bay over the 12 months of the study. This gives weight to the view that the primary reason that penguins colonised St Kilda Breakwater, as opposed to other similar breakwaters within Port Phillip Bay, is the relative abundance of penguin prey species to be found in proximity to St Kilda, ie in Hobson's Bay.
Subsequent studies have shown that St Kilda penguins will forage outside the Hobson's Bay area, but this is exception rather than the norm. Furthermore, in 17 years of fortnightly monitoring by the members of the St Kilda Penguin Study, on only one occasion have penguins been observed to return to the breakwater from the south.
Limitations of possible strategies to limit the environmental impact of the channel deepening
Earthcare acknowledges the efforts to anticipate any environmental impacts of channel deepening via the EES process. However, we see some major and probably insurmountable issues:
Logistics: 40 million cubic metres is a huge amount of material. The October 2003 Key Effects statement, suggested management options for only 10% of the dredged material (6, p4). What are the plans for the other 90%?

The contaminated dredge material from the Yarra River and Williamstown Channel will certainly require "appropriate management measures"(6, p8). We are yet to be told what these measures are, or be convinced that adequate management measures are possible.
Time: The project is proposed to take two years to complete - with ongoing dredging operations (when it has already been recommended that dredging in the Bay be minimised). An ecosystem or a species can possibly adapt to a short period of disruption. However, severe disruption over a period, greater than two breeding seasons is likely to be catastrophic for the Little Penguin Colony, other significant fauna and primary production in Port Phillip Bay generally.
Summary
The St Kilda penguins were classified as "critically vulnerable" to the effects of the channel deepening (5). The penguins are an indicator of the health of Port Phillip Bay as an Ecosystem. They are currently thriving, with a colony of over 500 and growing.
Earthcare St Kilda is seriously concerned that the channel deepening proposal threatens the future health of Port Phillip Bay and that if the channel deepening is allowed to proceed, we may see the demise of this ecosystem and the penguin colony with it.
We therefore strongly oppose the Channel Deepening proposal and urge the State Government to explore more economically and environmentally sound alternatives to channel deepening.
 

Northern Pacific Seastars believed to have arrived in Port Phillip Bay through a ships ballast water

 
References 1. Cullen M, Blake N, et al, Urban Penguins, Nature Australia Winter 1996, pp23-27

2. Cullen M, Blake N and Hogg Z, Data of the St Kilda Penguin Study Group 1986-2001 pg 5

3. Harris G, Port Phillip Bay Environmental Effects Study, 1996, pp 15, 21,39 and 95.

4. Harris, G, Transcript from the address to the Blue Wedges Coalition public meeting, 16th March 2004

5. Mustoe S, Existing Ecological conditions in Port Phillip Bay: Marine Mammals and little Penguins Specialist Study, 2003, page 496.

6. Parsons Brinckerhoff, Channel Deepening Project Environment Effects Statement, Key Features Report October 2003, Overview Brochure

Earthcare St Kilda

Postal: PO Box 287, Elwood 3184, Victoria.

Email: earthcarestkilda@gmail.com