The current status of eutrophication in Port Phillip Bay is Fair with a Declining trend observed in financial year 2022-2023. This status is informed by the available time-series data. The confidence score for this data is Medium. The overall eutrophication status provided for each assessment area is calculated by taking the lowest or worst percentage score across category I, II and II. This follows the ‘one-out-all-out’ principle that is also applied by OSPAR and HELCOM and is in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive. The 2022-2023 overall Eutrophication status is driven by nutrient levels Fair status.
In Port Phillip Bay the mitigation of eutrophication is a management priority and an indicator of the overall condition of Port Phillip Bay. Analysis of each of the parameters provides an overall Fair status for Port Phillip Bay for 2022-2023, representing a medium eutrophication risk.
From 1984-1985 the status has consistently been Fair and Good, showing a stable trend with a slight decline in status from 2019-2020. In 2022-2023, the status in Central East, Geelong Arm and Exchange was Fair, while Hobsons Bay achieved a Good status. Please note that water quality data collected before 1990 may not be suitable for long-term trend analysis.
The results for each ERS segment are calculated using the average of the monitoring sites within each segment. Again, the ‘one-out-all-out’ principle is applied, and the overall status of segments is driven by the lowest or worst percentage score across the 3 categories. For the 2022-2023 period, all the ERS segment results have been driven by the Nutrient Levels status. For further information on each of the category’s status in segments, see the individual pages.
Page last updated: 17/04/24