Seagrass Mapping Project Final Report
Activities and Communications
Sea Days January 2-4 2008 - 2 days of presentations and workshops on seagrass
The Sea Days Festival each year at Port Welshpool brings together the fishing industry, Parks Victoria Marine Park Staff, Naturalists and Historians who share their knowledge with local people and visitors of all ages. A series of talks four times a day explained the nature of Corner Inlet and the role seagrasses play in fisheries and the general marine biology of this Inlet and other places. Each talk was followed up with question and answer sessions. Parks Victoria ran a shuttle boat free of charge to the Broadleaf Seagrass beds in the Marine Park each day at low tide.
The Future Food and Fibre Project on the 7th of March 2008
The Future Food and Fibre Project combined with the seagrass mapping project to put on a day for fishermen and farmers to get together on Corner Inlet. There was vigorous discussion about the problems facing the inlet’s seagrass beds as farmers were shown both good beds and those that have been deteriorating closer to shore.
After the boat tour the entire group came together again at the Port Franklin Hall and held a workshop and discussion regarding the various factors that influence the variation in seagrass beds.
The emphasis was on a ‘No Fault Claims Bonus’ – the recognition that we all eat the products the farmers grow and that the fishermen catch and therefore we can share both the ownership of the problems we saw that day and more importantly the solutions.
For many farmers it was a revelation. They equated the seagrass beds of the inlet to their own pastures and many for the first time realised that fish production was as reliant on the state of seagrass as wool, meat and milk production was on the state of pastures. Farmers also realised how little control fishermen have over their seagrass beds compared to farmers control of pasture.
Several farmers made the point that having realised the relationship between seagrass beds and fishing they could see real merit in continuing the work they have already started in fencing and revegetating streamsides.
It was disappointing that Parks Victoria did not show on this day with a fire on Snake Island – however they will definitely be at the 2009 Sea days Festival at Port Welshpool
The brochure produced as a result of that day and the local newspaper reports of those activities were included in the first report.
Additional Activities
Recreational fishermen liaison
Around Corner Inlet there are three major boat ramps where recreational fishermen congregate and a very popular beach fishing location known as ‘the seawall’. Over the course of the project many days were spent engaging with, indeed fishing with, these recreational fishermen, showing them maps and explaining the various types of seagrass to get their feed back. It was discovered that particularly locals who live along the coast also have a detailed knowledge of seagrass beds – their comings and goings – and their knowledge too was invaluable for filling out details of current (2007) distribution of fineleaf seagrass beds not often visited by commercial fishermen
VR Fish played a key role in this project from the outset through responding to an inquiry from Gary Cripps, the Environment Officer for the CIFHA, concerns regarding the loss of seagrass in 2006. The contacts they provided the fishermen enabled them to get this project up in the first instance.
On the 26/27th July 2008 the opportunity was taken to join with a key members of VRFish at Lake Tyres and provide a presentation on the seagrass mapping project and bring them up to speed with what has been going on. It was a fruitful day and underlined the need to have a second launch for the Seagrass Map in Melbourne in 2009 specifically for recreational fishfolk as many from Melbourne based clubs have fished in Corner Inlet for many years.
Additional Local Liaison
Local Councilors have been contacted informally to discuss the problems emerging with the management of road reserves. Councilor Kieran Kennedy has arranged for a meeting on road reserves with key members of the Shire in February 2009 at which ideas and concerns regarding their management will be discussed. This is rapidly evolving into a stand alone project that will also involve Wellington Shire which has responsibility for the western section of Noramunga/Corner Inlet. There have been several issues regarding ‘zealous’ Council Roadside contractors clearing too much of the remnant native vegetation some of which have been resolved successfully.
Radio Shows
On the 23rd August 2008 a spot was created for discussion about fish habitat on a radio show run by recreational fishermen. In the lead up to the Sea Days festival it is planned to have a series of interviews on both local and Melbourne radio shows promoting both the Sea Days Festival and the Launch of the Sea Grass Maps and Poster.
Sea Days Jan 2 -4 2009
The coming Sea Days festival will provide an ideal opportunity to launch the completed current (2007) seagrass map and poster as well as giving a series of audio visual presentations on the project, seagrass mapping and the role of seagrass in the marine environment.
Again working with Parks Victoria there will be opportunities to visit Broadleaf Seagrass beds at low tide in the Marine National Park.
Historic Seagrass Maps
Please find attached (on disc) three samples of historic seagrass maps from 1938, 1947 and 1972. At the Sea Days Launch these maps will be framed and recordings of the interviews made while mapping played.
Planning and Preparation for Linking with Other Projects
Research ways in which affects to seagrass beds can be best addressed.
Duplication of Mapping from Fishermen’s Knowledge - See first report for detailed inventory of approach and Methodology
Advantages – cost effective, simple maps as outcomes – See first report
Collation of data and research papers and co-ordination of future research through notification and access to data base
A problem encountered from the outset of this project was the difficulty of tracking down previous research on seagrass, especially that dating back to the 1970’s. Considerable effort was made to track down a map made by researchers Leon Collett of the seagrass beds with fishermen in 1974. Leon sadly passed away in 2006 before and his research materials it his hoped reside with his family with efforts still in progress to track them down if possible. This is just one example of many of the difficulties in collating research.. Whereas much of the research completed on Corner Inlet is held by local people it is not held in the one place and there is no current inventory.
A submission has been made for funding of such a project to develop a central data base through the Werlshpool Working Group – see attached.
Ongoing Public Education – Underwater Viewing Area
With a local ‘ambulant’ population of adults of less than 1500 and literally dozens of ongoing research projects at any one time there is a local exhaustion with ‘consultation’ and ‘workshops’. There is no capacity to pay locals for their time and unless events are very well organised – such as the Food and Fibre day in the inlet for fishermen and farmers and the annual Sea Days event at port Welshpool– they are often poorly attended.
A solution to this problem is to establish a permanent marine educational facility in Corner Inlet that provides ongoing education for the local community and also acts as a significant tourist attraction.
The attached submission has already been funded and there is considerable local support for this project.
Cost effective reduction of Agricultural Chemicals and Nutrient Discharge – further research required.
There is a strong circumstantial link between chemical, sediment and nutrient discharge into Corner inlet and the decline in seagrass, especially Broadleaf Seagrass. The distribution of Broadleaf Seagrass is most persistent the further it is from the shore and the more it is exposed to fresh tidal waters from the entrance.
Upper catchment Discharge – Private Forestry
Broadleaf Seagrass in particular is sensitive to a wide range of agricultural and industrial chemicals. The upper catchments of the Franklin, and Agnes
River systems that feed into the main Corner Inlet Basin drain a private forestry area which is dependent on wide range of chemicals associated with forestry including pesticides and herbicides. There are no known processes of engagement with private forestry and this company is not involved in Landcare or similar activities.
Due to privacy considerations data on the use of chemicals in private and even public forestry is not available.
Project 1
Catchment based assessments of volume and nature chemicals used and sediment discharge from private forestry operations and the state of streamside vegetation across the drainage that feeds into the Corner Inlet main basin. This will require to co-operation of the company involved – Hancocks – and confidentiality for many aspects of such an evaluation given the commercial nature of the land management.
Mid/Lower Catchment Management - Farmland and Towns
Streamside Vegetation
Existing Landcare programs on farms in South Gippsland, especially the innovative work by the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, with extensive stream side fencing programs are being developed. At the Port Franklin Field Day in July farmers remarked that the trip to view the seagrass beds gave them a sense of purpose for their own works in providing streamside fencing.
Project 2
To map the stream sides feeding the Corner Inlet Main Basin and calculate what percentage passes through private and public land and of that how much is covered with indigenous vegetation and fenced from grazing. Such a project will quantify achievements to date and provide a guide to future work required.
Lower Catchment and Coast
Sewerage outfalls
Port Welshpool
This outfall has had a dramatic affect of the fauna of the Port Welshpool foreshore with the loss of mud oyster beds after its commissioning in 1984 according to data from the marine group of the filed naturalists Club of Victoria. There has also been a steady loss of broadleaf grass bed density along the Lewis Channel heading toward Port Welshpool and between Snake Island and Little Snake Island.
Toora Sewerage Discharge
The Broadleaf seagrass beds are diminished in and around the Toora Outfall though the mixing of salt and freshwater before discharge appears to have reduced this impact over time.
Barry Beach
The pit storage of hydrocarbon waste has created a dead zone for seagrass off Barry Point. The waste issue is being addressed at the time of writing.
Foster Sewerage Outfall
Foster sewerage outfalls travels through a series of drains, a dam. into a small estuary and then the inlet. This is one of the oldest sewerage outfalls and Stockyard creek which flows through the township of Foster once took all the waste from the original Milk Factory which was closed in the 1960’s. The past extent of the broadleaf seagrass beds in this northwest has greatly diminished though the area has and does today again support both Swangrass and fineleaf seagrass intermittently.
Project 3
It is planned to decommission each of these sewerage outfalls over the next decade. It would be beneficial to speed up this decommissioning. An evaluation of the marine fauna with 3 kilometers of these outfalls before and after decommissioning may provide a valuable insight into the impact of sewerage.
Spartina control
Spartina is a ‘coochgrass like’ weed from the northern hemisphere that infests mudflats in estuaries. Fishermen have long suspected that the chemicals used for the control of this weed also impact seagrass – something which is denied by the government bodies that use it.
Project 4
The impact of various doses of the chemicals used to control Spartina needs to be gauged on broadleaf, fineleaf and swan grass sea grasses in controlled laboratory conditions.
The covering of Spartina infestations with anchored ‘weed mat’ and the use of super heated steam need to be trialed on Spartina infestations to reduce the chemical load that the various estuarine habitats of Corner Inlet Basin, especially seagrass, has to cope with.
Blackberry control
On steep agricultural land on the northern side of Corner Inlet main Basin there is intermittent Ariel spraying of herbicides to control blackberries which can result in runoff into Corner Inlet. Though clearly more expensive, the manual and mechanical removal of blackberries – or simply tolerance of their presence – is likely to give far better outcomes for the environment of the Corner Inlet basin.
Project 5
Establish trials for alternative methods of blackberry control including monitored plots that let blackberries ‘grow out’ and the native vegetation takeover in various locations.
Roadside Vegetation
Project 6
Quantify and address the loss of roadside vegetation in the Corner Inlet catchments and work with DSE, Local Councils and adjacent landowners to reduce the losses of roadside vegetation and replace the use of chemicals to control weeds with mechanical and non toxic applications.
Roadside vegetation in South Gippsland and many other areas of coastal Australia often contains the last remnants of indigenous species that once lived throughout the district.
As nearly all roads around Corner Inlet include drains the roadside vegetation is a vital filter for sediment runoff and agricultural chemicals – and therefore vital to the health of seagrass beds.
Unfortunately over the last decade roadside vegetation has been subjected to various forms of management that diminish both its extent and indigenous nature.
Ecological Burning
The function of roadside vegetation as a filter and seed stock has been neglected along the road to Wilson’s Promontory National Park, especially after the Fish Creek turnoff from where the drains often flow back into Corner Inlet. Instead a variety of government departments have been engaged in ‘ecological burning’ aimed at reducing the abundance of particular indigenous plants species. As a result of both post fire weed invasion and slashing have diminished both the quality and extent of this roadside vegetation.
Roadside Spaying
Again a variety of government agencies, both local and State, spray road reserves with herbicides to control road verge grasses and weeds. It is not unusual to see such spraying continued over estuarine water courses and streams that lead to them. Additionally there is specific spraying for Broom and Blackberries which both compromises surrounding indigenous vegetation and adds to the chemical load that finds its way into Corner Inlet.
Roadside Slashing and Drain Maintenance
Over the last decade manual drain clearage and roadside vegetation maintenance – keeping brush and trees back from the road. Flexible arm slashers have at time done great damage to roadside vegetation well back from roads.
The re-digging of roadside drains in some areas has seen indigenous vegetation removed from both the roads and paddock side of the drains or lost completely.
Slashing in many areas around the basin has steadily diminished the indigenous vegetation on roadsides and turned it them to introduced grasses which provide less effective filters for runoff and especially sediment.
Phos - Check Fire Retardant
The use of Phos – Check fire retardant and the subsequent runoff following rain after fires has become an issue in East Gippsland both in regard to the loss of seagrass and fringing Melaleuca Scrub. The loss of seagrass on the southern banks of the Corner Inlet may have been associated with the use of this fire retardant in 2001
Project 7
Work with parks Victoria, the CFA and DSE to limit the use of Phos-check during bushfire/fuel reduction burn control in the catchment of Corner inlet.
Project 8
Introduction of farmer regulated floodgates
In Northern NSW the regulation of tidal floodgates by farmers has proved popular and workable. There is considerable scope for the establishment of a similar system of regulated tidal floodgates across the entire northern shoreline of Corner Inlet. There is an opportunity to bring both the floodgate design and the farmers that have used them into Corner inlet to demonstrate their effectiveness and management to local farmers.
By re-introducing tidal flow to floodgated estuarine streams the nutrient can be incorporated into the inlet over many tidal changes instead of periodically when rainfall is sufficient to open gates simultaneously across large sections of the seawalls and gated estuaries fringing the inlet.