Tag: BUDGET

Artificial reef and seagrass commitments welcomed – although Cockburn Sound dredging and access concerns remain

The State Government’s announcement of $17.4 million for social and environmental initiatives in Cockburn Sound has been welcomed by Recfishwest.

Among the initiatives being funded are new artificial reefs and more seagrass restoration — two measures Recfishwest has long supported.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “We welcome the Government’s commitment to artificial reefs and seagrass restoration – both are proven tools for supporting healthy marine ecosystems and better fishing.

“We’ve advocated for these initiatives for some time and it’s good to see them get a guernsey in this budget.”

Cockburn Sound artificial reefs – have your say

The Government’s Westport program is seeking community feedback on the best location for the reefs. Recfishwest encourages all metro fishers to have their say – click here to access the survey.   

As seen with artificial reef deployments in Dunsborough (left), the Rottnest Towers (centre) and Esperance (right), artificial reefs deployed in Cockburn Sound could see similar marine life benefits.

Ongoing concerns about dredging

While we welcome these habitat initiatives, serious concerns remain about the potential impact of the dredging that will be required to create the new port and a new shipping channel that will service it.

What you need to know about the dredging

• It’s going to be on a large scale to deliver the new port and the new shipping channel. To create the planned 20km long, 18.5m deep shipping channel running from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound will require up to 35 million m³ of ocean habitat to be dredged, potentially making it among the biggest dredging operations ever to be undertaken in Australia.
• There’s little detail at this stage about the dredging program required to deliver the development adding to our concerns about its potential impact.
• It will be subject to environmental approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency following a Public Environmental Review due to take place next year.
• If approved, dredging could start as early as 2028.
As seen in this map on Westport’s website, there is a huge amount of dredging planned to make way for the port and shipping channel from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound, making it among the biggest dredging operations in Australian history with serious potential impacts on the environment and fishing.

 

“The sheer scale of dredging and the plume it will create is the most concerning aspect of the Westport project,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland.

The international experience has shown dredging can have massive impacts on the environment. Even after the dredgers leave, it can take decades — or longer — for marine ecosystems to recover. In some cases, they never do.

Dredging increases turbidity, reduces light penetration and smothers seagrass meadows which are vital habitat for species like snapper, crabs, whiting, herring and squid.

It’s a concern that is shared by the Westport developers themselves – Westport Managing Director Patrick Seares told the ABC in a recent interview, “We realise this is a public project led by the public, by the Government for the public – so we’ve got to take care of their assets.

“For us it’s about managing the dredging program, the plumes coming out of dredging and making sure we protect the Sound through that.”

Recfishwest will continue to advocate for the long-term health of the Sound and the safe, accessible and much cherished fishing experiences it supports for thousands of fishers.

“We’ll keep supporting positive habitat outcomes,” said Andrew, “but we’ll also keep pushing for clarity and accountability around environmental impacts and will fight to maintain and improve Cockburn Sound.”

Popular fishing jetties around WA set to benefit from the budget

Jetties are the heart of local coastal communities, providing accessible fishing for everyone and essential nearshore habitat for a range of important fish species.  

In good news for fishers, numerous jetties around WA will receive some love, following the Government’s recent budget announcement.  

From one of the Metro’s most popular land-based fishing spots at Ammo Jetty, to the Mount Henry Jetty in the Canning River and the Bunbury fishing platform that caters for fishers with mobility issues – these are just a few landmarks set to receive millions of dollars in improvements for fishers to utilise and enjoy.  

To help us advocate for more and better jetties, please take a couple of minutes to take our jetty survey below. We want to know what jetties and platforms are most important to you and what makes a good jetty. Everyone who completes the survey will go in the draw to win a Shimano Sienna 2500 flick rod and reel combo that is perfect for their favourite fishing jetty!

Some of the jetties the Government has committed to investing in include:  

  • Ammo Jetty – $20 million in total to be injected into completing the design and construction of a new jetty, which will include a 50-metre long, three-metre-wide T-head, which will double the current fishing space in the deeper water at the end of the jetty to the benefit of fishers. Recfishwest is on the Ammo Jetty Working Group and has had input into the design of this one to ensure it is best optimised for fishing. 
  • Mount Henry Jetty – $1 million to replace the existing jetty 
  • Bunbury fishing platform – The Government has set aside $4 million for a new fishing platform in Bunbury following the closure of the Bunbury Service Jetty.  
  • Extension of the northern breakwater at Jurien Bay Boat Harbour – $17.5 million will be invested on improving water quality at the marina, mitigating against the fish kills in the harbour and  opening up more fishing opportunities off the extended rock wall.   

In addition to the measures to support jetties announced in the budget, the Government also recently committed $5 million to build a new small boat facility to replace the defunct Taylor Street Jetty in Esperance. The plan is for the currently closed jetty to be demolished and replaced with a 70m pontoon jetty, with a 50m wing for use by the Port of Esperance, and a 20m section open to the community (as pictured below).  

A new breakwater spur will also help enable year-round access as it should protect the area during storm events, allowing fishers to wet a line more easily and comfortably. 

Southern Ports new draft design of the Taylor Street Jetty in Esperance, which shows improved land-based fishing options and protection for fishers.

We welcome these commitments from the Government, but we want to see more! 

The pleasure and value jetties provide is priceless and every coastal town or those located next to an estuary deserves a town jetty for local and visiting fishers. Jetties are the first places people learn to fish and they offer everyone the opportunity to access deeper water and a wider variety of species than is usually available from shore. 

On behalf our cast of 700,000 recreational fishers, Recfishwest will continue to advocate for investments in fishing infrastructure such as jetties to boost land-based fishing access and fishing experiences.