Tag: westport dredging

Artificial reef and seagrass commitments welcomed – although Cockburn Sound dredging and access concerns remain

The State Government’s announcement of $17.4 million for social and environmental initiatives in Cockburn Sound has been welcomed by Recfishwest.

Among the initiatives being funded are new artificial reefs and more seagrass restoration — two measures Recfishwest has long supported.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “We welcome the Government’s commitment to artificial reefs and seagrass restoration – both are proven tools for supporting healthy marine ecosystems and better fishing.

“We’ve advocated for these initiatives for some time and it’s good to see them get a guernsey in this budget.”

Cockburn Sound artificial reefs – have your say

The Government’s Westport program is seeking community feedback on the best location for the reefs. Recfishwest encourages all metro fishers to have their say – click here to access the survey.   

As seen with artificial reef deployments in Dunsborough (left), the Rottnest Towers (centre) and Esperance (right), artificial reefs deployed in Cockburn Sound could see similar marine life benefits.

Ongoing concerns about dredging

While we welcome these habitat initiatives, serious concerns remain about the potential impact of the dredging that will be required to create the new port and a new shipping channel that will service it.

What you need to know about the dredging

• It’s going to be on a large scale to deliver the new port and the new shipping channel. To create the planned 20km long, 18.5m deep shipping channel running from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound will require up to 35 million m³ of ocean habitat to be dredged, potentially making it among the biggest dredging operations ever to be undertaken in Australia.
• There’s little detail at this stage about the dredging program required to deliver the development adding to our concerns about its potential impact.
• It will be subject to environmental approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency following a Public Environmental Review due to take place next year.
• If approved, dredging could start as early as 2028.
As seen in this map on Westport’s website, there is a huge amount of dredging planned to make way for the port and shipping channel from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound, making it among the biggest dredging operations in Australian history with serious potential impacts on the environment and fishing.

 

“The sheer scale of dredging and the plume it will create is the most concerning aspect of the Westport project,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland.

The international experience has shown dredging can have massive impacts on the environment. Even after the dredgers leave, it can take decades — or longer — for marine ecosystems to recover. In some cases, they never do.

Dredging increases turbidity, reduces light penetration and smothers seagrass meadows which are vital habitat for species like snapper, crabs, whiting, herring and squid.

It’s a concern that is shared by the Westport developers themselves – Westport Managing Director Patrick Seares told the ABC in a recent interview, “We realise this is a public project led by the public, by the Government for the public – so we’ve got to take care of their assets.

“For us it’s about managing the dredging program, the plumes coming out of dredging and making sure we protect the Sound through that.”

Recfishwest will continue to advocate for the long-term health of the Sound and the safe, accessible and much cherished fishing experiences it supports for thousands of fishers.

“We’ll keep supporting positive habitat outcomes,” said Andrew, “but we’ll also keep pushing for clarity and accountability around environmental impacts and will fight to maintain and improve Cockburn Sound.”

Serious Cockburn Sound environmental concerns persist following Westport Business Case summmary release

Recfishwest continues to have serious concerns about the future of Cockburn Sound following the Government’s release of its Westport Business Case summary earlier this week for the development of a $7.2 billion container port in Kwinana.

The proposed port would require a massive dredging operation and see cargo vessels more than twice the length of Optus Stadium oval pushing past families fishing from small boats. 

The Westport dredging operation – what we know so far

  • To service the new port, a 18.5m deep shipping channel from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound will require up to 35 million m³ of seafloor to be dredged – making it among the biggest dredging operations ever to be undertaken in Australia.
  • The new channel will be required to accomodate “Post-Panamax” size vessels measuring 366m long, 51.2m wide and 15.6m deep.
  • Dredging increases turbidity, reduces light penetration and is known to damage the marine environment. Much of the proposed dredging will occur around recovering seagrass meadows in Parmelia and Success Banks. These meadows provide critical habitat for species like snapper, crabs, whiting, herring and squid.  
  • Westport’s revised EPA referral document acknowledges “The proposal is likely to have significant effects on the environment.” Ths further highlight the importance of Westport’s stated objective that the new port will “deliver positive long-term benefits for the natural and physical environment.”  
As seen in this map on Westport’s website, there is a huge amount of dredging planned to make way for the port and shipping channel from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound, making it among the biggest dredging operations in Australian history with serious potential impacts on the environment and fishing.

Click here to listen to Operations Manger Leyland Campbell’s recent ABC radio interview where he discusses Westport’s potential impacts on the environment and fishing.

Premier Roger Cook recently announced a $273 million investment to progress detailed planning for the development of a new container port in Cockburn Sound following completion of a business case for the Westport project.  

However, no indication was given as to how much – if any – of that investment would be spent on better understanding or addressing the project’s environmental impacts.  

What Recfishwest has to say on the issue

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “The business case has not been released and the summary of the business case that has been made public fails to address the impacts on the Cockburn Sound environment from dredging 35 million m³ of sand, installing a 2km long breakwater and constructing an international shipping container port. 

“For seven years since Westport was first tabled, we’ve been asking the same questions and all we’ve heard is lip service being paid to the environment and our fishing experiences. 

“Westport project managers claim this will be an environmentally friendly port that will leave the environment in a better place. We have seen no evidence this will be the case and so many questions around the environment remain unanswered.”  

Recfishwest has recently joined the Save Cockburn Sound Alliance – a coalition of groups who have a strong connection with the Cockburn Sound and are deeply concerned about its future.  

We encourage anyone who cares about the Sound to join – check out Save Cockburn Sound’s website for more information.