The Effects of Dredge-Spoil Dumping on a Shallow Water Soft-Sediment Community in the Solitary Islands Marine Park, NSW, Australia

摘要

In December 1999, 28 000 m~3 of sediment was dredged from two sites within the harbour at Coffs Harbour, NSW. Dredging was carried out using a trailing suction Hopper-dredge which transported the spoil to a shallow (6 m) site within the adjacent Solitary Islands Marine Park for disposal. Evaluation of the effects of the dredge-spoil dumping at the receiving site was conducted by taking replicated van Veen grab samples at the disposal site and at two control sites, before, immediately after, and three months after dumping. The results indicated that dredge- spoil dumping had no detectable effect on either the structure of the invertebrate community or the physical characteristics of sediment at the receiving site.