Premier’s announcement of $107 million for next stage of Ocean Reef marina development met with serious questions from metro fishers

Over the weekend, WA Premier Roger Cook announced that the Government has signed a $107 million works contract to start the next stage of major works for the Ocean Reef marina development.  

The Premier said, “Ocean Reef marina is one of the most significant development projects in our State.”  

However, despite its significance to West Aussie fishers, the Government is yet to offset the loss of the 12.5 hectares of productive reef habitat which resulted in more than one million abalone being killed to make way for the marina.  

As a result of this failure, DPIRD was once again forced to restrict this summer’s metro recreational abalone season by one day for the fifth year in a row.    

Hear from Leyland Campbell discussing the impacts of Ocean Reef marina on recreational fishers in the video below:

 

A failure by Government to deliver on what was promised to us

There is also still no word on the fishing jetty that was promised as part of the marina’s plans, which would allow fishers of all abilities – including those requiring wheelchair access – to enjoy wetting a line.  

Recfishwest Operations Manager Leyland Campbell said, “Recfishwest has always supported the Government’s vision for the marina due to the broader community benefits a marina can provide. This support is largely because we have repeatedly been assured the development would be undertaken in accordance with world’s best practice.   

“However, not taking responsibility to remedy the environmental damage done by its actions is a long way from best practice. And, if the Government can’t be trusted to mitigate the environmental impacts of a residential marina, then what confidence can the community have in the Government developing an international container port and a large new shipping channel in an environment as sensitive as Cockburn Sound?”  

The abalone season this summer has been shortened for the fifth year in a row due to the Government failing to mitigate or offset the damage done to metro abalone stocks due to the Ocean Marina development.

 

Stocking boost driven by fishers 

Even though the Government is yet to take responsibility for the impact of their development, that hasn’t stopped fishers from investing in the future of this important fishery, Leyland pointed out.  

“The Fisheries Minister recently announced that DPIRD would restock abalone in the metro area over the next three years thanks to an investment of recreational licence fees through the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund,” said Leyland. 

“Recfishwest first called for metro abalone restocking using recreational licence fees back in 2017, so it is great to see this becoming a reality.  

“While abalone stocking is welcomed – it does not make up for the huge hole left in abalone habitat and stock by the destruction of the Ocean Reef abalone reef.”   

He added, “It is time the Government takes responsibility and finally invests in properly mitigating and offsetting the impacts of the marina.” 

Recfishwest will continue to push the Government to take responsibility for their actions so abalone stocks can grow and fishers can regain the fifth day of abalone fishing they have been robbed of for the last five years.   

More artificial reefs plus more FADs equals even better fishing this summer!

Fast facts:

  • Long-awaited metro reef gets the green light for early 2021, 7km off Ocean Reef;
  • First modules poured for Carnarvon Reef  with consultation about to begin for Albany artificial reef;
  • Second year of FADs trial program about to launch in the bottom half of the State, including FADs going in off Geraldton.

Today, Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland joined the Fisheries Minister Peter Tinley at Subcon — Blue Solutions’ yard in Henderson to announce that the long-awaited north metro artificial reef has got the green light for deployment 7km off Ocean Reef in early 2021.

So, it’s not every day you get a new fishing spot given to you for free – but if you’ve got a boat and you fish in the metro area, get these coordinates in your plotter now!

This is the centre-point for the new north metro ‘array’ off Ocean Reef. To be based in 27m of water, the reef will be comprised of 292 purpose-designed concrete modules ranging in height from 0.7m to 1.8m and cover an area of 15ha – that’s a space roughly equivalent to four Optus Stadiums.

Constructed by Subcon — who have a strong track-record in artificial reef design and deployment across Australia — this will be the seventh artificial reef to be deployed across WA.

“Experience shows it won’t be long at all before the modules accumulate marine growth that will quickly begin to support new fish habitat,” Dr Rowland said.

“With species like pink snapper, yellowtail kingfish, Samson fish and skippy predicted to make the reef system home, it won’t be long either before the reef is creating safe and accessible, great new fishing opportunities for small boat owners.

“We know these structures evolve quickly as habitat through our Reef Vision program which sees hours of video footage collected by volunteers using underwater cameras dropped on artificial reefs capturing the structures’ development.”

Check out our latest Reef Vision footage from Exmouth’s King Reef at the two-year point in its development.   

Recfishwest would have liked to have seen the north metro reef go in sooner than this, as there has been a great appetite for it from the local recfishing community – but securing Commonwealth environmental approvals for the reef was held up for a number of reasons including COVID.

“Nevertheless, we have got here and the deployment of the metro reef will mark a great start to 2021, as well as the beginning of the next chapter in the State-wide artificial reef program.

This exciting stage sees consultation beginning with the Albany community next month about their artificial reef project and the first Carnarvon artificial reef modules being poured.

Also, bubbling away in the background is research and discussions with oil and gas companies around the possibility of reefing some of their marine infrastructure on the North West artificial shelf which already holds a spectacular array of fish biomass and biodiversity as Fisheries Research and Development Corporation recently reported.

School students Stephanie King and Ellen King join Subcon’s Matt Allen, Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland and Fisheries Minister Peter Tinley having helped construct the reef modules as part of the Future Englneers program. Picture: Recfishwest

Meanwhile, Recfishwest are preparing to kick off the second year of our trial State-wide FADs program which, building on from the success and lessons learnt from last year’s run, will see FADs going in off the metro, Cape Naturaliste and Albany.

“I am also very pleased to let you know we will be deploying FADs off Geraldton this year, with the devices expected to be going in the water in December,” Dr Rowland said.

“We’ll be bringing you more details about the FADs deployment in the next couple of weeks – but just with artificial reefs and FADs alone, there are already some exciting fishing enhancing developments in the pipeline. We’re also working hard to deliver some other projects this summer too – so stay tuned and watch this space.”

Yellowtail kingfish are set to get reels zinging at Ocean Reef’s artificial reef!