Consideration of seasonal sensitivities

Comprehensive investigation undertaken by PoMC into the effets of dredging in Port Phillip Bay, identified a number of seasonal environmental and social sensitivites that exist  in various locations around the bay.

In order to limit adverse impacts to the assetts potentially impacted, the Channel Deepening Project Environmental Management Plan outlines a number of restrictions and limitations on dredging during certain locations and times.

These limitations are:

• No dredging permitted between 18 December and 31 January in the South of bay to mitigate impacts on the recreation and tourism activities during the holiday season.
• Restrict dredging in Williamstown Channel (within HobsonsBay) to less than 50% of key anchovy spawning period from 1 December to 28 February. A two weeks on/two week off sequence will be applied to this period.
• No dredging using the TSHD in the Yarra River or Williamstown Channels between 15 October to 30 November to protect migration of the endangered Australian mudfish and Australian grayling species (relates to EPBC Act / NES matters – refer to Annexure 8).
• Dredging using the TSHD in Yarra River between 1 April and 30 July restricted to no more than two calendar months, or equivalent in days to protect Australian grayling larval drift.