Esperance Reef 1 Step Closer

We have an exciting update regarding the development of the Esperance artificial reef.

Local Community Champion Graham Cooper with some of the concrete modules set to be deployed off the Esperance coast in October.

The Australian Government’s Department of Environment and Energy have approved the final piece of the process to get the Esperance artificial reef in the water.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland is excited to receive the final approval and says the reef is due to be deployed in October.

“The Esperance community and Recfishwest have been working for many years to make this dream a reality and now we’re past the final step,” Dr Rowland said.

“We’ve had great support from both State and Commonwealth Governments for this project, along with the Goldfields Esperance Development Commission.”

“The local fishing community rolled up their sleeves and teamed up with reef engineers, Subcon, to build their own 128 module, 150 tonne reef, and now to get this final tick of approval means a lot to the community.”

The funding for the Esperance reef comes from the Goldfields-Esperance Regional Grants Scheme, funded by Royalties for Regions and the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund supported by Recfishwest and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

The reef will provide families in small boats access to safe fishing experiences close to Bandy Creek Boat Harbour and Wylie Bay, with access to fish species such as Pink and Queen Snapper, Nannygai, Breaksea Cod, Samson Fish, flathead, whiting and tuna.

Continue Reading

February 11, 2025

Recfishwest welcomes more mobile coverage for WA fishers, but Salmon Holes still left in the dark

Recfishwest welcomes the announcement that the State Government is boosting mobile coverage at dozens of coastal locations around the state. It includes $2 million set aside for the installation of mobile towers…

Read More

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…

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