Carnarvon artificial reef takes a big step forward to becoming a reality

Carnarvon is one step closer to becoming home to WA’s newest artificial reef following recent consultation with Carnarvon’s recfishers and community leaders.

The new reef will provide new and exciting fishing experiences in close proximity to town for families and tourists with small boats.

Members of the Carnarvon fishing community sharing their views on potential locations for the planned artificial reef.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland and Operations Lead Matt Gillett met with locals at the Shire of Carnarvon’s council chambers to determine where the community wanted the highly-anticipated reef to be deployed.

The town’s anglers also flagged what fish they would like to see at the artificial reef and this will inform the module design and layout.

Matt said there was plenty of community buzz about the reef’s implementation and anglers were particularly keen to target mulloway, mackerel, cod, pink snapper and cobia among other species.

The general consensus was that people wanted access to sought-after big fish, generally caught far off shore, closer to town, said Matt.

“There’s great anticipation within the community about what the reef will bring in terms of a fishing experience,” he said.

“We know from other artificial reef projects in which we have been involved, placed in the right spot these structures can significantly increase fish productivity, diversity of species and create accessible fishing oases.

Think pink: captures of ripper pinkies like this within a short run-out from the boat ramp could be on the cards in the future.

“To have an artificial reef off Carnarvon has been a long-held aspiration by the local community and we’re really excited for the next phase of the project which will involve seabed surveys.”

Announced last November, Carnarvon’s artificial reef will be funded through a $300,000 grant provided by the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund and the project is well supported by the Shire Council and the local Chamber of Commerce.

Flashback: Read what we said when the Carnarvon artificial reef project was announced in November

The reef will benefit Carnarvon’s fishers and encourage visiting fishers or those passing through to stay longer in the town helping boost the local economy.  With the reef’s exact location yet to be determined, Tuesday’s meeting was important in consulting with the Carnarvon fishing community about its ideal location.

The reef is likely to be based far enough out from Carnarvon to create thrilling fishing, but also close enough for small boats and families to safely enjoy.

There are six artificial reefs already deployed along WA’s coastline at Bunbury, Dunsborough, Rottnest Island, Mandurah, Exmouth and Esperance.

Check out some cool footage from Exmouth’s King Reef here or read more about our artificial reefs program here 

The long-awaited northern metropolitan reef is also progressing with deployment scheduled for later this year.  All of the deployed reefs have created terrific marine habitat and have become home to a raft of quality fish species creating popular fishing playgrounds.

Mulloway is one of the target species local fishers will be keen to see on the reef once deployed.

Continue Reading

January 30, 2025

Recfishwest pushing to boost freshwater fishing with floating jetty at Big Brook Dam

An innovative idea for a new fishing platform at Pemberton’s Big Brook Dam is being floated by Recfishwest and the local fishing community – quite literally!   The iconic dam provides year-round trout fishing with…

Read More

January 30, 2025

Port Hedland community to get a new artificial reef!

Recfishwest is excited to announce plans to install a new artificial reef off the coast of Port Hedland in partnership with BHP. A new addition to the State’s network of seven current artificial reefs, the new Port…

Read More

January 29, 2025

Design plans for Bunbury’s new jetty promise exciting, accessible fishing for everyone!

When last year’s State budget was released, we were excited to see $4 million allocated for a new fishing platform to replace Bunbury’s recently condemned community fishing jetty.  Today, we can share the design…

Read More

January 28, 2025

WA’s marine heatwave demands action to build fisheries’ resilience

Last week, DPIRD issued a marine heatwave alert for the North Coast and Gascoyne regions with the potential for it to reach the southern half of the State over the next couple of months. This follows current sea…

Read More

January 21, 2025

Bluewater Classic sees big species variety and donations to science

A strong turn-out for the 2025 Bluewater Classic run out of Geographe Bay showcased the South-West community’s passion for fishing – with many of the 160-plus participating fishers donating samples to fisheries…

Read More

January 20, 2025

Family fishing fun lures kids to enjoy the great West Aussie outdoors

The great West Aussie summer holidays are seeing thousands of mums, dads and kids making golden memories at family fishing events in the South of our State.   Family-fun-packed events like the ever-popular Mandalay…

Read More