World’s first trial to remediate dredge material grounds

Port of Melbourne has just announced its partnership with The Nature Conservancy Australia (TNC) to lead the world’s first trial to remediate dredge material grounds by restoring shellfish reefs in Port Phillip Bay.

Dredge material grounds are areas of seafloor set aside for placement of sand and mud which have been cleared from navigation channels.

“This is an incredibly exciting initiative,” Andrew Bossie, TNC’s Seascapes Conservation Officer, VIC, said.

“We are restoring half a hectare of new shellfish reefs over dredge spoil, something that has never been attempted before.”

The trial started on 4 February, using a mix of recycled shell from TNC’s Shuck Don’t Chuck project and local limestone rock to form a new reef base on the seafloor.

These reef bases will be seeded with 400,000 Australian Flat Oysters, which will continue to grow and attach to the reef base and each other.

Over time, they will create a living reef, filtering water, and attracting a diversity of fish and aquatic life, Port of Melbourne said.

This project is part of TNC’s larger national shellfish restoration program that aims to rebuild shellfish ecosystems at 60 geographic locations across Australia by 2030.