$2 million artificial reef to boost metropolitan fish stock in The Nature Conservancy project
A new shellfish reef the size of Adelaide Oval is planned for the metropolitan coastline – and it’s expected to provide a big boost for the environment and fishermen.
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A $2 million artificial reef is planned for Adelaide’s metropolitan waters, bringing a plethora of new fish to Gulf St Vincent.
It has been labelled a win for the marine environment and fishermen, and it comes as work on a huge reef near Ardrossan nears its end.
The Nature Conservancy, which is leading both projects, is searching for the best location for a 2ha limestone reef – the size of Adelaide Oval – somewhere between Sellicks Beach and Port Adelaide.
The State Government has set aside $1.2 million for the work and the conservancy hopes it will secure another $1 million from other financial backers, such as philanthropists and private organisations, so it can double the reef’s size.
Marine restoration co-ordinator Anita Nedosyko said it came as the conservancy is about to seed 7 million native oysters on the 20ha Windara Reef, in addition to the 100,000 oysters already there.
“We’re already seeing lots of biodiversity increase and lots of fish that weren’t there before,” Ms Nedosyko said.
“For every hectare of reef that you put in, it can create 400kg of new fish every year, so it has a great benefit for recreational fishers but also for the general marine environment.”
The new reef will be 1-2km from the coastline and in water no great than 10m deep.
Oysters are like “nature’s kidneys”, Ms Nedosyko said, removing pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorous, and improving water quality for other animals such as fish, shrimps and worms.
This, in turn, attracts larger sea animals targeted by fishers, such as snapper, whiting and blue swimmer crabs.
One million oysters will be introduced to the metropolitan site, each filtering a bathtub of water every day – equating to 27 billion litres of water each year.
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The conservancy’s Australian director, Rich Gilmore, said shellfish reefs once were common in the sheltered near-shore areas of SA, but suffered between the mid-1800s and mid-1900s from harvesting, dredging and pollution.
“Shellfish reefs are now virtually absent from South Australian waters,” Mr Gilmore said.
The community will be consulted about plans for the metropolitan reef early next year.
Environment Minister David Speirs said the reef would be complete by the end of 2020.
“The Nature Conservancy is the world’s largest conservation organisation and has international and national expertise in reef restoration projects, including rebuilding over 60 reefs globally,” Mr Speirs said.
“I am looking forward to working with them to deliver a habitat that will boost fish productivity, create jobs and improve water quality in the region.”