Hot off the press is the $13.5 million Cockburn Sound Research Insights Report 2022-2026, which marks the completion of the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program for the State Government’s Westport program.
While the report is positioned as a “blueprint for proactive restoration and resilience building to allow for evidence-based management of Cockburn Sound into the future,” the information and research presentations provide an insight into the vast extent of the damage forecast for the marine environment across Cockburn Sound, with every species examined expected to endure significant impacts, including potential for significant mortality events.
Even protected species, such as Australian Sea Lions which live outside the immediate dredge and development zones will have their food sources heavily impacted.
The research package will directly inform Westport’s “nature-focussed port design” and underpin the environmental approvals process.
WAFIC has requested further information on the exact process for approvals in light of the known impacts to commercial fisheries in the Sound and the uncertainty around this important pink snapper spawning aggregation area.
Equally concerning is the unknown impacts the snapper breeding disruptions will have on the white shark populations that congregate each year in waters surrounding the Sound during the spawning aggregations.
Despite the known impacts and likely closures to commercial fisheries, no department or government agency has been nominated to manage compensation.
The science program forms the basis of Westport’s Shared Environmental Analytics Facility (SEAF), a collaborative digital platform to ensure all current and future decision makers within Cockburn Sound have access to this data.