August 2023: Fertiliser Management Program - Healthy Estuaries WA

During the cooler and wetter months (Makuru season) estuaries receive much of their freshwater inputs for the year thanks to winter rainfall. Estuaries are fascinating ecosystems that change constantly throughout the year as they exchange water from rivers and streams with ocean water.
 
When we have rainfall, our Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), quality scientists observe a process called stratification in our estuaries. This is where the less dense freshwater from rivers sits as a layer on top of denser, salty, ocean water. This is a natural process for estuaries but can contribute to low oxygen conditions at the bottom of the water column, which can be problematic for aquatic life. In some of our estuaries, stratification occurs nearly year-round. Look for physical profiles for your local estuary see up-to-date information about salinity and oxygen stratification here.
 
Rainfall also brings nutrients from the catchment to our estuaries, which can provide fuel for algal growth. Catchment management work done through Healthy Estuaries WA is reducing nutrient inputs to our waterways.

Up in the catchments, our fertiliser management program has received the largest-ever number of expressions of interest this year, and we thank farmers for their interest in the program. We partnered with fellow catchment groups, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and DWER, participating farmers in the year-long program will receive support for soil testing and interpretation of the results to make informed nutrient management decisions. The program has also been announced as a finalist in this year's Premier's Science Awards! 

We recently celebrated the conclusion of the uPtake project. Thank you to the many partners involved in the project, which has validated that national critical values used to inform phosphorus fertiliser recommendations are relevant for south-west WA soils and contemporary pasture species. Learn more from our video and factsheet, which summarises four years of on-farm fertiliser trials.

Read all about this and much more below. For more information about any of the topics covered, go to estuaries.dwer.wa.gov.au or email [email protected]. ​