Dont worry about your ropes mate, even at the abrolhos our ropes go slimey, nuthing a good chlorine bath dont fix!!!

But agree with with all the sulphates and super sulphates that enter our esturies especially the swan and peel inlet that these have a devasating effect on our fish and crusteacea numbers. How many fish kills do we need before something will be done???
Deckhand and member of the Gotone Woodvale team

My personal view for crustaceans is that its cyclical  (of course there are external factors playing into it), just like the stock market, average years, good years, then bad years and then back and into it again.  When living just outa Walpole we'd have one bumper year of blue manners, then a half decent year, then 2 years of bugger all, then one year of half decent, then a bumper year and then rinse and repeat.  Same thing happened with king george, bay snapper, silver bream and occasionally blackies which weren't residents.  Think the same thing used to happen in Mandurah with the crabs and prawns, quiet quiet quiet then bang, huge.  Wouldn't suprise me if they move into different estuaries/inlets based upon the leeuwin current, water temperatue, maybe even salinity - I don't know.  I do remember quite vividly when being a southerner that the numbers would rotate up and down the coasts as the seasons went by.  (This is just my personal view though, not read any other related research done on it)

As for the metro, I have no idea.  But certainly some pertinent questions!!!  As for the indo boob job, you might get back more than you bargained for... ;) 

seek info from DEC or DoW, cockburn is supposed to be well studied especially for the mussel industry. unfortunately science is generally "catchup" data only. hard to forcast when no certainty due to climate change. things will change though and yes acid sulfates are markedly increasing.... most big companies are required to have an Envorinmental Protection Act license and these will have license conditions for emission. they will have targets and limits and each license requires an annual environmental report. this will outlay results and comparison against historical trends/data. an environmental assessment report (EAR) is done by DEC before they issue the license. all licenses and EAR are public domain, and some on internet (still being added). licenses are enforced and may lead to prosecution.

likewise DoW should do the same for water quality, but not sure of there reliablility. there is a harvey/peel inlet regulation which has certian limits and targets for emissions. DoW don't really apply enforcement though....

Fisheries should have good science info for the sound. salinity will be a real issue in the near future 

the salinity in the sound is increased 5~7 more each day by the suns evaporation of water into the atmosphere by the desal plant.
The salinity of the returned water is slightly higher than the water being taken in, but if you take 10,000 litres into a desal plant, the out put stream is like 9000 litres, with only 1000 litres of fresh water being produced normaly. So the salinity increase for that stream only is 10%, BUT once you put that small stream back into a huge ocean water body like the Sound, then the increase in salt content would not be able to be measured by some aquarium chaps kit.
We have installed desal plants all over the world and have a good idea of what really happens. Loads of hype and old wives tails flying around.
If there is going to be an effect to enviroment from a desal plant, then it will happen with in less than 200m of the outlet in a raduis, before major dilution occurs.

Also don't confuse salt pans like at Shark bay with their high saline run off with desal plants.
They two different plants completely.

I'll find a linek I have that explains it better and the true effects later tonight.

cheers
Tony

Full-time piscatorial-idiot, in The Vines. "It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek poet.
Supporter of Meals on Reels & The Wally Weight

If it really is as bad as you guys say then maybe you guys should get a vid cam and go grab some of this run off water and show the effects of it when combined with nuetral salt water from outside the sound (with some poor crustacean as a test subject). Now I reckon that would be something that would get today tonight or ACA interested, could light a bit of a fire under a few backsides??

http://www.sciencealert.com.au/features/20072908-16259.html

quote"
There are more than 13,000 desalination plants around the world, according to the International Desalination Association, and blueprints —South Australia's among them — for many more. Global Water Intelligence, a British industry publication, estimates the desalination market will grow by 12% a year to 2015 and then accelerate.

Desalination is long established, core technology in the Middle East. Within four years it will provide 80% of Israel's drinking water. Singapore has one plant, and had plans for six, though a shift in emphasis to recycled waste water may mean they don't all eventuate. It's still a rarity in the US, where environmental concerns have stymied it. India is thirsty for solutions, but the expense and energy involved has so far constrained experiments. Though now, like China — cranking up its desalination investment — India looks ahead to desalination as a key to sating growing population, probably drawing in nuclear power.

In Australia, Perth has a plant operating, offset by wind power, and another on the drawing board. There's one been built on the Gold Coast, one is under way in Sydney (also offset by buying wind power), and another is in the offing in Adelaide, as well as Victoria's planned Wonthaggi plant."
http://www.independentweekly.com.au/news/local/news/environment/is-desalination-the-solution/776181.aspx

http://www.water-technology.net/projects/perth/

http://www.watercorporation.com.au/_files/Desalination_Cockburn_environment.pdf
( read this one...and then make up your mind)

cheers

Tony

They are the hardware compelled by dramatic changes in our rain gauges and our reservoirs since 1975, says Professor John Langford, a veteran in water management reform and director of the University of Melbourne Water Research Centre.

Full-time piscatorial-idiot, in The Vines. "It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek poet.
Supporter of Meals on Reels & The Wally Weight