New public moorings will protect the Great Barrier Reef

Around 30 public moorings will be installed across the Whitsundays to protect sensitive coral on the Great Barrier Reef. Here’s how the project will unfold.

Thirty new public moorings will be installed across the Whitsundays to help protect sensitive coral on the Great Barrier Reef.

Part of the state government’s $3.9 million investment, the latest vessel moorings will be located at key points on the Reef to provide safe and sustainable access to some of the Whitsundays’ most popular snorkelling and anchorage sites.

Construction of the moorings is expected to take place in May this year.

The vessel moorings provide safe and sustainable access to some of the Whitsundays’ most popular snorkelling and anchorage sites.

“The Great Barrier Reef is Queensland’s most iconic natural asset and our investment is designed to protect it, while also supporting a sustainable reef-based tourism industry,” Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said.

“There are now 309 public moorings and 289 reef protection markers throughout the Great Barrier Reef that can be used by recreational boaties and reef-based tourism operators.

“The moorings help to reduce the impact of boat anchors on coral reef, sea grass beds and other sensitive marine habitats, which in turn supports the long-term health and resilience of these important ecosystems.

“Investing in eco-friendly moorings is not just good for the environment, but also good for the local economy as it attracts eco-conscious tourists who are willing to pay for sustainable tourism experiences.”

Ms Scanlon added: “This is incredibly important that we’re not impacting natural marine life where people are coming to enjoy these areas.”

“People come to the Whitsunday region to snorkel to see our incredible marine life and coral reef systems and we don’t want to be in the process of damaging the very thing that you’re coming to visit.

“This is about making sure that whatever we’re doing in our marine environment, we do it as sustainably as possible.”

The Reef Trails program aims to reduce anchor damage on coral reefs and improve public access to the Great Barrier Reef.

Townsville-based company Pacific Marine Group has been awarded the contract to carry out the installation works.

The company recently completed the installation of 13 new public moorings at offshore reefs off Townsville, as well as around Orpheus and Pelorus Islands.

Business Development Manager of Pacific Marine Group Steven Jones said he was pleased the firm is continuing their relationship with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) with the mooring installation program.

Pacific Marine Group has been awarded the contract to carry out the installation works. Picture: Supplied

“We have installed over 400 of our environmentally friendly moorings all along the Great Barrier Reef, with many now up to 30 years old and performing as well as the day they were installed,” he said.

“This project will use all North Queensland local supplied labour and materials, with the planning, procurement and fabrication phase employing around 15 people, and the site installation phase also employing around 15 people between marine crew, diving crew and Management crew.

“Our unique mooring system continues to provide positive environmental outcomes by providing an alternative to vessels dropping anchors in sensitive marine environments.”

Coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef, November 2021. Picture: Gabriel Guzman

The Reef Trails investment increases the number of public moorings available in the Whitsundays and Townsville areas to 246, after 30 similar moorings were installed in 2021.

The moorings will be managed and maintained through the Reef Joint Field Management Program, which is funded by the Queensland and Australian governments to deliver crucial on-ground actions to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Information about public moorings in the Whitsundays and across the Great Barrier Reef, including maps, GPS positions and vessel size classes is available online.