Fishing has been banned around two newly-constructed shellfish reefs off Adelaide’s coast to allow the reefs and marine life to settle and develop.
Implemented by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA), the ban prohibits fishing on the shellfish reefs at Glenelg and O’Sullivan Beaches for 12 months.
Acting Executive Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture at PIRSA, Shane Roberts said the management arrangements were carried out under Section 79 of the Fisheries Management Act 2007 and followed on from a similar ban which was implemented during the construction of Windara Reef off Yorke Peninsula.
“It’s essential the new reefs are protected to allow the limestone that was deployed and the marine life that will utilise the reef to settle and begin to develop for an extended period, to maximise the ecological value of the reef,” Dr Roberts said.
He said the angasi oysters used for both reefs were grown at the hatchery of PIRSA’s research division, the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).
“The oyster spat are now about one centimetre in size and settled on Pacific Oyster shells,” he said.
“When mature, in about two years, they will reproduce and contribute to the angasi oyster population on the reef naturally.”
Dr Roberts said angasi oysters, endemic to southern Australia, had been an important coastal habitat, but due to over-exploitation, the habitat was extinct across its distribution range by the early 20th century.
Principal Marine Science at the Department for Environment and Water, Simon Bryars said Glenelg Reef was about 1 km offshore in seven metres of water within a five-hectare development area, while at O’Sullivan Beach, the five-hectare native shellfish reef was about 500 metres offshore.
Further information on fishing closures in South Australia can be accessed at this PS News link.
