Tag: Woodside Energy

Exmouth fishing competition captures highlights King Reef’s rich marine biodiversity

Anglers got to sample Exmouth Gulf’s crowning glory as part of Exmouth Game Fishing Club’s (EGFC’s) ‘King of the Reef ‘competition, which saw a total of 20 different species caught at King Reef artificial reef!

More than 280 fish were entered in the four-month long competition, putting a bend in rods and a smile on the dial of almost 80 entrants.

EGFC ran the competition with the support of Recfishwest and Woodside Energy, enabling fishers to wet a line around King Reef and Exmouth’s surrounds, while contributing to science by entering their catches via the Track My Fish App.

Recfishwest’s Artificial Reefs Approvals Officer Eligh Quigley said, “The catch data from the fishing community is helping us not only better understand the species diversity around King Reef, but is also strengthening fishers’ sense of stewardship of the environment.

“With these great outcomes, the case for deploying more artificial reefs around WA in the future is further strengthened – it’s a win-win-win. So a big thanks to EGFC, Woodside Energy and all those who entered the competition.”

With a swag of impressive prizes up for grabs, almost four fish on average were entered per fisher into the Track My Fish app. Twenty-four fishers from outside of Exmouth entered – further showcasing the attractive intrastate and interstate appeal of the fishing on offer at the reef.

Ben Gryta is the proud new owner of a $2,000 Surge Orion kayak after catching the most species – 10 no less –  at King Reef!

Just some of the vibrant species landed at King Reef were blackspotted tuskfish, cobia, flounder, Moses perch, coral trout, pink-banded grubfish, and several different varieties of emperor, mackerel, snapper and cod – to name a few!

From underwater snap to brag mat! Coral trout were just one of the many species logged during the competition, with 20 different species landed by fishers at King Reef alone. Top photo credit: Blue Media Exmouth.

EGFC Events Manager Ben Knaggs was not surprised at the sheer variety of fish species making reels sizzle, based on the artificial reef’s rapid growth he’s witnessed over the past six years.

“This is the fastest growing artificial reef in Australia, and it has certainly flexed its species diversity muscle over the past four months,” said Ben. “The variety in the competitors was just as mixed as the captures too and we had 60 seniors, 18 juniors and two fishers from New South Wales getting in on the action.

“Given it’s only 6.4km North-East of the Exmouth Marina boat ramp, it’s become a go-to spot for fishers in smaller boats providing just as much action and that ‘lucky dip’ species variety excitement like what you would find further offshore. And the best part is the reef will only keep on naturally growing in size and numbers of fish.”

King of the Reef capture snapshot

Most species on King Reef – Ben Gryta (10)

Red emperor – 10 caught in total, largest fish: Ben Gryta (73.5cms)

Spangled emperor – 58 caught in total, largest fish: Richard Papa (60.5cms)

Coral trout – Eight caught in total, largest fish: John Morley (76cms)

Blue-lined emperor – 38 caught in total, largest fish: Brock Keymer (49cms)

Spanish mackerel – 12 caught in total, largest fish: Quade Kitson (138.5cms)

Trevally – 25 caught in total, largest fish: Ben Knaggs (108.5cms)

Charlie court cod – 115 caught in total, largest fish: Lola Gryta (38cms)

A big Recfishwest congratulations and thank you to all competitors who contributed to science by logging your catches into the Track My Fish app!

The King of the Reef Competition will be back again in 2025 with an even better list of prizes up for grabs, so keep an eye out for it early in the new year!

Find out more about our wide network of artificial reefs in WA here.

Happy 5th anniversary to Exmouth’s King Reef – a thriving fish habitat just five years after placement on the seabed

Five years ago, all that was there was the barren sandy seabed. 

Today, the area is teeming with vibrant colour, exotic coral and hundreds of marine species, including an array of fish species like trevally, coral trout, cod and mangrove jack.  

What has caused this dramatic transformation? The deployment of the six large, repurposed steel structures and nearly 50 concrete purpose-built modules that makes up King Reef – the fastest developing artificial reef in Australia! 

This latest spectacular video footage by underwater photographer Violeta J. Brosig from Blue Media Exmouth captures the rich biodiversity that has grown on the reef and seen the number of fish species observed on the reef rise to more than 100.  

In 2018, a collaboration between Recfishwest, the Exmouth local community, DPIRD, BHP, NERA, Subcon and Curtin University resulted in King Reef – the first integrated artificial reef deployed in the southern hemisphere covering an area of 27,000m³ – roughly the area of five footy ovals.  

With ongoing support from Woodside Energy, the reef has rapidly transformed the area from an underwater desert into a marine oasis with coral trout, bluebone, spangled emperor, red emperor, mangrove jack, cod, Spanish mackerel and even sailfish seen patrolling around the reef.  

An array of species are now commonly sighted by locals and tourists, spicing up the fishing opportunities and species diversity throughout the Gulf. 

Exmouth Tackle and Camping owner Steve Riley, who was instrumental in turning vision of a repurposed reef in Exmouth Gulf into a reality, said it provides great fishing for fishers in small boats.  

“King Reef is a very easy and accessible spot to fish and it’s brimming with life, so it’s perfect for small boat owners to get out for a fish,” he said.  

“Our record time for reaching the reef, having a troll and having two Spanish mackerel in the boat is seven minutes, that’s how good the fishing has become there!  

“Red emperor, amberjack and Rankin cod were barely reported at all throughout Exmouth Gulf before King Reef’s deployment, now these species are trickling outwards from the structure in great numbers and snorkelers have reported seeing red emperor in only four metres of water within the Gulf. It’s an unexpected, but welcome surprise.”   

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “King Reef is a perfect example of how repurposed structures like these can quickly create productive, abundant underwater habitats. It is a huge credit to the Exmouth community and all our partners who have helped bring this dynamic reef system to life. 

“Deploying habitat enhancement structures like King Reef is an internationally recognised and scientifically proven method to increase the productivity of our oceans. We are looking forward to seeing more of the structures creating new vibrant marine habitat like this in other parts of WA in the near future.” 

Check out more stunning imagery captured by Blue Media Exmouth below, showing the thriving fish and coral reef communities!  

Fishing for Science and hard-fighting pelagics at the 2023 Dampier Classic!

With scores of spectacular catches rolling through at the recent Dampier Classic last weekend, the weigh-in scales and our Fishing for Science team at the filleting table were certainly kept busy!  

And with our latest SunSmart Fishing Clinic allowing kids to learn how to catch, handle and release a range of great species in the pristine Pilbara waters – our Dampier fishing clinic was booked out in a matter of days.  

With a fantastic community response to our Fishing for Science fish program, supported by Woodside North West at King Bay Game Fishing Club’s (KBGFC) 47th annual Dampier Classic, scores of comp entrants provided the Recfishwest team with plenty of samples of commonly captured Pilbara species such as wahoo, mackerel and tuna. 

Fishing for Science is a community engagement program that enables local communities to better understand scientifically the fish species that underpin prized fishing experiences. With each day’s weigh-in showcasing many impressive captures, competitors were happy to assist Recfishwest in taking 63 belly samples from a range of fish species.  

Other data gathered for our Fishing for Science program across the competition included the weight, condition, sex, parasites and maturity stage of each fish, providing some interesting insights for locals while allowing them to give something back to fishing.  

The kids in Dampier absolutely loved learning about the gender and biology of many different species on our Fishing for Science filleting table from Recfishwest’s Levi De Boni, with a strong flow of captures keeping the next generation of fishers entertained for days.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR FISHING FOR SCIENCE PROGRAM HERE 

It wasn’t just 70-plus Dampier Classic competitors aboard 19 boats who enjoyed some great fishing action. Our SunSmart Fishing Clinic in Dampier drew in 50 local kids eager to wet a line off the shore, with plenty of great catches ranging from 10cm Moses perch to 30cm tuskfish.  

This fishing clinic introduced future fishing generations to the great species on offer in the pristine Pilbara waters and also provided Sam Russell and Levi De Boni from Recfishwest the opportunity to educate kids on how to be SunSmart under the new KBGFC gazebo – funded through a Recfishwest Community Grant – while also teaching them how to catch, handle and release fish correctly.  

“This was Recfishwest’s biggest attended SunSmart Fishing Clinic to date with plenty of fish caught throughout the whole three-hour clinic. It clearly outlines how important fishing is to the Pilbara community when our clinics rapidly book out with dozens of kids all buzzing to wet a line,” said Recfishwest Senior Operations Officer Sam Russell.  

“A big thanks to the Dampier fishing communities, King Bay Game Fishing Club and SunSmart for allowing us to run these clinics and actively engage with hundreds of Dampier and Karratha locals again for 2023 – and a big kudos to our Fishing for Science partners Woodside Energy for supporting this great community program that continues to expand across northern WA.”  

The smiles tell the story! Here is some of many great catches from our packed-to-the-rafters SunSmart Fishing Clinic in Dampier, with more than 50 kids learning how to catch, handle and release fish.

President of KBGFC Leon Brislane has helped coordinate the Dampier Classic for the last three years and has seen first-hand the importance and growth of this renowned fishing competition and Recfishwest’s Fishing for Science program throughout our northern communities. 

“This annual competition always brings loads of families and friends together to share a beer, have a laugh and catch some top-quality fish in one of the best fishing locations in WA,” said Leon. 

“The kids can’t get enough of the Fishing for Science program and they are always super-excited to become engaged with the Recfishwest crew taking fish samples. It always leads to fun ‘guess the fish gender’ games and they also receive an invaluable biology lesson to better understand these great species of fish. 

“A big thanks to all of our sponsors for their generosity in helping support the King Bay Game Fishing Club and this great annual event.”

A big Recfishwest thanks to the Dampier community and the King Bay Game Fishing Club for their warm hospitality during the 2023 Dampier Classic.