Australian bay and dredging

Baywatch reveals swarms of unknown life
Andrea Petrie, The Age 9 Jan 08;

CLOSE to 20 minutes after leaving the Queenscliff boat harbour yesterday, those aboard the Maureen M got a memorable introduction to the marine delights of Port Phillip Bay.

Up to 60 dolphins in pods varying in numbers put on an impressive display as the 27 people swam among them while being towed by ropes behind the boat.

Before long they were snorkelling around Popes Eye, the world's smallest man-made marine national park, where they watched some of the bay's 5000 marine species — 90% of which cannot be found anywhere else — swim beneath them.

Then it was off to Chinaman's Hat, a wooden structure within sight of the bay's Mud Island bird sanctuary, where they swam with seals.

As opponents of the Port Phillip Bay dredging project await a decision on their High Court challenge tomorrow, those aboard yesterday's Sea All Dolphin Swims trip said the experience had given them a better understanding of what was at stake if dredging went ahead.

"I think it's a real concern because if the fish aren't here, the other wildlife aren't going to hang around," said Berndan Dalmau, 38, of Baxter.

Hugh Skinner, 8, from Mulgrave, hoped to return to the bay to see the "big and colourful" fish and seals again.

His brother Ty, 6, said "it would be a shame if something happened and they all swam away from here".

Snorkelling instructor Sally Renzenbrink, 24, said she had concerns for the bay's marine life if dredging went ahead.

"There's more biodiversity here than in the Great Barrier Reef so it would be devastating if that was jeopardised," she said.

"The bay is so healthy at the minute because it is so shallow, which encourages kelp, seaweed and seagrass, which in turns encourages marine life and makes it a great breeding ground for a lot of fish. That attracts dolphins, and we're lucky enough to have about 120 dolphins that are unique to Port Phillip Bay."

An environment report last month found the water quality in the bay was better than it had been for several decades.

This was in part due to the drought, which cut the amount of polluted stormwater flowing into the bay, but also to the long-term effect of ending scallop dredging about 20 years ago, according to the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority.

The report said the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park was in excellent health.