The McGowan Government's new artificial reef, which will be located offshore from the Ocean Reef Marina, is one step closer with the release of the tender today for design, construction and installation.
The $1 million Northern Artificial Reef Project will create good recreational fishing and diving opportunities without people having to travel long distances.
Following extensive consultation through Recfishwest, recfishers chose for the reef to be located seven kilometres west of Ocean Reef Marina, making it easily accessible from Hillarys, Ocean Reef and Mindarie marinas.
The reef will be a minimum size of 1,000m3, with the exact reef module layout, size and design to be determined through the tender and relevant approvals process. The tender opens today (June 10) and closes on July 5, 2019. The reef is expected to be in place by early 2020.
The project is being funded from recreational fishing licence fees that are invested back into recreational fishing through the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund.
The recreational fishing community of WA contribute $2.4 billion into the State's economy each year, with an estimated 740,000 Western Australians spending their hard earned dollars on fishing, boating and travelling experiences.
As stated by Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly:
"The McGowan Government is committed to creating safe, accessible, sustainable and enjoyable fishing experiences for all Western Australians.
"Artificial reefs not only enhance fish diversity which can then be enjoyed by recreational fishers and divers, but also benefit local businesses with the reef attracting more visitors to the area.
"The new reef off Ocean Reef is expected to become home to a range of fish species including samson fish, silver trevally, pink snapper and breaksea cod.
"This will be the seventh purpose-built artificial reef to be installed in Western Australia over the past seven years with reefs already located off Dunsborough, Bunbury, Mandurah, Rottnest Island, Esperance and Exmouth."
As stated by Joondalup MLA Emily Hamilton:
"This brings us a step closer to a great new recreation opportunity for local fishers and divers, that will complement the Ocean Reef Marina development."
As stated by Burns Beach MLA Mark Folkard:
"This is great for the fishing community and environment in the northern suburbs. This reef will take some of the pressure off local reefs, and create more fishing opportunities with better catches.
"This artificial reef will also likely be beneficial for local small businesses with an expected increase in recreational fishing participation in the area."
