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Gippsland Lakes Seagrass Mapping Final ReportThe seagrass mapping component of this project commenced in early 2015. The mapping follows the previous aerial photography mapping by Roob and Ball in 1997 though with a reduced extent. Similar to Roob and Ball (1997), a combination of aerial photography and on-ground sampling were used to create maps of seagrass extent in the Gippsland Lakes.
Report - Managing for Metal Mobility in the Gippsland Lakes (II)Elevated heavy metal concentrations have been reported in previous studies of sediment, plant and animal life in the Gippsland Lakes. However, little is understood about the potential risks of those contaminants, either in the sediment, or if they were to become mobile in the water column of the Lakes. Experiments by Federation University revealed that largely the metal concentrations are stable, with predicted climate and hydrological change.
FAQ - Mercury Levels in fish in the Gippsland Lakes - June 2017A short version, including frequently asked questions, of the mercury levels in fish in the Gippsland Lakes report. This is the results of a 2015 field study investigating changes over time and location within the lake system to inform public health advice for fish and seafood consumption.
Marine pests in the Gippsland Lakes: Existing threats and future monitoringThis report presents: A risk assessment highlighting key marine pest threats, transmission vectors and pathways to the Gippsland Lakes. A baseline assessment of the status of marine pests in the Gippsland Lakes (March 2015). Ecological information for key marine pest species found in the Gippsland Lakes. Advice to managers/users on how to best mitigate and manage ongoing risk. Recommendations for on-going monitoring of marine pests in the Gippsland Lakes.
Gippsland Lakes Sustainable Boating PlanThe Gippsland Lakes Sustainable Boating Plan (GLSBP) provides a plan for action to preserve and enhance the environmental, social and economic values of the Gippsland Lakes, while supporting growth in boating and waterway activity. The plan identifies and evaluates risks and benefits associated with boating activity on the Lakes and recommends measures to manage sustainable growth through policy, regulation, infrastructure, coordinated management and education.
The community’s vision for the Gippsland Lakes and catchmentsAn informed and engaged community is best placed to support good decision-making, lead positive behaviours and practice change. As part of the Gippsland Lakes – Science, evidence and environmental citizenship project, this report investigated what the local community values about the Gippsland Lakes and catchments, and in turn, what their vision for the health of the Gippsland Lakes and catchment is, and how it relates to beneficial uses.
Draft Strategic Management Plan (2003)The Draft Strategic Management Plan (2003) for the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar site is an integral component of a program to develop a comprehensive management framework for Victoria’s Wetlands of International Importance. The primary goal of the management framework is to maintain the ecological character of Victoria’s Ramsar sites through conservation and wise use. This report was prepared by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
The Gippsland Lakes: management challenges posed by long-term environmental changehe Gippsland Lakes, listed under the Ramsar Convention in 1982, have undergone chronic salinisation since the cutting in 1889 of an artificial entrance to the ocean to improve navigational access, exacerbated in the mid–late 20th century by increasing regulation and extraction of water from inflowing rivers. Both developments have had substantial ecological impacts: a marked decline in the area of reed (Phragmites australis) beds; the loss of salt-intolerant submerged taxa such as Vallisneria australis, causing a shift to a phytoplankton-dominated system in Lake Wellington; and, nearer the entrance, an expansion in the area of seagrasses. Mangroves (Avicennia marina) first appeared in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Since 1986 recurring blooms of Nodularia spumigena have led to loss of recreational amenity and to the periodic closure of recreational and commercial fisheries. Changes to hydrological and salinity regimes have almost certainly shifted the contemporary fish community away from the pre-entrance state. Rises in eustatic sea levels and increases in storm surges will exacerbate the issue of chronic salinisation. Whether or not managers choose to intervene to prevent, or at least minimise, ongoing environmental change will inevitably prove controversial, and in some cases no socially or technologically feasible solutions may exist.
Tidal Scouring in the Gippsland Lakes (1981)The opening of the artificial entrance in June 1889 made a permanent connection with the sea and subjected the Lakes to greater tidal influence. Documentary evidence of the ecology before 1889 is not detailed and only major biological changes have been noted since. The bathymetry of the Lakes however, was surveyed in detail between 1892 and 1895. The purpose of this study has been to determine the nature of any changes in the bathymetry since 1889 and to assess the implications of these changes.
Sensitivity analysis of the CSIRO model for the Gippsland Lakes. (2004)The 2001 Gippsland Lakes Environmental Study was a modelling study intended to investigate a series of hypothetical management strategies in the Lakes. Modelled scenarios included nutrient and river flow reductions and exchange modifications. This project addresses aspects of model uncertainty.
Estimation of Sediment and Nutrient Loads into the Gippsland Lakes (2001)This report summarises the estimation of total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) loads for all inputs into the Gippsland Lakes. The loads were required as input to drive the CSIRO ecological model and were produced at a daily level for the period from 1975-1999, and used in ecological modelling for the period July 1995-June 1999.
Report on the Gippsland Lakes INFFER AnalysisAn INFFER analysis was conducted in partnership with the Gippsland Lakes Task Force (GLTF) to assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of achieving phosphorus (P) reduction targets.
Integrated Model Scenarios (August, 2001)This report provides results and conclusions from a set of model scenarios carried out as part of the Gippsland Lakes Environmental Study, using an integrated model of nutrient and sediment cycling and impacts within the Lakes.
Integrated Model Development and Calibration (August, 2001)An integrated model of nutrient and sediment cycling, phytoplankton dynamics, sediment biogeochemistry and benthic plants has been developed and implemented for the Gippsland Lakes. The model has been designed to improve understanding of the function of the Lakes, and their response to catchment loads, and to allow managers to assess management scenarios. This report describes the formulation, implementation and calibration of the model, and the implications for system state and function.
Hydrodynamic Modelling (December, 2000)This report describes the development, calibration and application of a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of Gippsland Lakes, as part of the Gippsland Lakes Environmental Study.
CSIRO Gippsland Lakes Environmental Study – Assessing Options for Improving Water Quality and Ecological Function (November 2001)The project intended to help managers understand the function of the Gippsland Lakes ecosystem and the factors underlying environmental issues such as water quality and algal blooms. It aimed to provide managers with the capacity to assess options to address these problems. These options included: reduction of nutrients and sediment loads in the rivers flowing into the Lakes; alterations to the river discharges to the Lakes due to further impoundment; increased irrigation extraction, or implementation of environmental flows; alteration to the flushing of the Lakes due to engineering works such as the construction of a second entrance or the deepening of the present Entrance.
CSIRO Gippsland Lakes Environmental Audit (October 1998)This audit aimed to gain an understanding of the issues involved regarding water quality, hydrology and catchment land use. A review of the scientific research and data collection was also done. This “state of the environment” report identifies gaps and data needs as well as potential management actions.
Using leaf chemistry to better understand the ecology of seagrass in the Gippsland LakesThis research aimed to supplement physical seagrass monitoring that has occurred in the Gippsland Lakes since 2008 by: (i) investigating spatial patterns in seagrass leaf chemistry to provide better understanding of seagrass condition and the mechanisms influencing condition with the view to facilitate early detection of seagrass stress prior to potential decline, and; (ii) investigate the role of seagrass in the nutritional support of fish to strengthen understanding of the links between fish and seagrass habitats.
Review of Hydrodynamic and Salinity Effects associated with the TSHD on the Gippsland LakesAn overview of hydrodynamic and salinity processes within the Gippsland Lakes and an assessment of the likely effects of the change in dredging practices on hydrologic and ecosystem processes in the lakes. The main objective of this report is to address concerns raised regarding the effects of on-going dredging at Lakes Entrance that may be having an impact on the ecological character of the Gippsland lakes, and whether the change in dredging regime since 2008 (from side cast to trailing suction hopper) has contributed to any such effect on the lakes system.
Gippsland Lakes Black Bream Stock Assessment 2012This report assesses the current status of black bream stocks in the Gippsland Lakes using a range of monitoring data. It provides a picture of the condition of the fishery against short and long-term trends, providing a detailed assessment of the current state of the fishery.
Lake Wellington SalinityThe report describes salinity inputs into Lake Wellington and develops management adaptations and options to modify the salinity in Lake Wellington.
Gippsland Lakes Seagrass and Fish SurveyThe report provides a snapshot of the range of fish species and the seagrass condition monitored at permanent sampling points within the Gippsland Lakes between September 2008 and April 2012. Water quality parameters were also recorded at multiple sites.
Gippsland Lakes Natural Assets Report Card Full ReportThe health of the Gippsland Lakes was assessed against six key environmental indicators in 2011. Indicators including: water quality, algal blooms, wetlands, birds, seagrass and fish were rated from A to E. The ratings are summarised in a report card and the information upon which the ratings were made is presented in a more comprehensive report.
Shoreline geomorphology and fringing vegetation of the Gippsland LakesThis review covers the existing literature, both from published sources and from unpublished consultants' reports, on the form and evolution of the Gippsland Lakes, the variety of vegetation that fringes the Lakes' shorelines, and the way both have changed since European colonization of the Gippsland region.
Gippsland Lakes Report Card - SummaryThe health of the Gippsland Lakes was assessed against six key environmental indicators in 2011. Indicators including: water quality, algal blooms, wetlands, birds, seagrass and fish were rated from A to E. The ratings are summarised in a report card and the information upon which the ratings were made is presented in a more comprehensive report.
Water Levels and Salinity: What drives the hydrodynamics of the Gippsland Lakes?Variations in water levels and salinity have a dramatic impact on the health and amenity of the Gippsland Lakes. Water levels and lake salinity are both influenced by a range of drivers such as tide, wind, river inflows and ocean levels. In this presentation Andrew will outline, in simplified examples, the ways in which different forcing’s drive the level and salinity variations in the Lakes; from typical conditions to the more extreme cases of floods and droughts. Presented at the 2013 Love Our Lakes Forum by Dr. Andrew McCowan.
Tracking the Abundance of Black Bream in the Gippsland LakesHabitat and environmental conditions have a significant influence on the abundance of bream in the Gippsland Lakes. Recreational and commercial fishery-dependent data reflects not only the variable nature of bream abundance, but also the availability of bream to different areas within the Gippsland Lakes system. This presentation outlines the data collection methods currently being used by DEPI to assess the abundance of bream in the Gippsland Lakes, and will make recommendations on future research directions. Presented at the 2013 Love Our Lakes Forum.
Seagrass and Fish Assemblages of the Gippsland LakesThis presentation provides a background on the nature and value of seagrass in the Gippsland Lakes; outline physical and chemical monitoring tools employed in the Lakes to assess the health of seagrass, plants and links with fish assemblages. Presented at the 2013 Love Our Lakes Forum by Fiona Warry.
Monitoring Diversity and Abundance of Wetland Birds on the Gippsland LakesThe Lakes are a refuge for almost 100 species of wetland birds, including endangered, vulnerable and migratory species. BirdLife East Gippsland regularly monitors species diversity and abundance. Some key findings on fluctuations over time are reviewed. Bird diversity and abundance are affected by a mix of local, regional and international ecological variables. Presented at the 2013 Love Our Lakes Forum by Chris Healey.
Gippsland Lakes Burrunan Dolphins: A new species in your backyard This presentation explains the science behind the recent new dolphin species classification; information about, and the importance of, the Gippsland Lakes resident Burrunan dolphin population; information on dolphin behaviour; and raise awareness of the regulations in place when boating around dolphins through to correct disposal of rubbish and fishing waste. It also encourages community involvement through ‘citizen science’ allowing the community to log sightings, locations, behaviour, pod size etc. Presented at the 2013 Love Our Lakes Forum by Dr. Kate Chalrton-Robb.