SYDNEY’S first artificial offshore reef has been deployed off the city’s coast.
THE NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, welcomed the State’s first offshore artificial reef to its new underwater home.
Ms Hodgkinson said the reef, which has been deployed off Vaucluse, is expected to vastly improve recreational fishing opportunities for the state’s anglers.
“Fish species such as snapper and yellowtail kingfish should soon be calling this reef home
which is great news for fishers looking to drop a line offshore over the spring/summer season,” she said.
The steel artificial reef unit, which stands 12 metres high and weighs approximately 42 tonnes, was lowered into the ocean at a water depth of 38 metres. It is located approximately 1.2 kilometres off The Gap at Vaucluse and 1.9 kilometres off South Head and is the first and largest Australian designed artificial reef structure constructed in Australia.
Bruce Schumacher, Chair of the Advisory Council on Recreational Fishing, said the reef is a big win for the State’s million-plus fishers.
“This project was a high priority for the Advisory Council on Recreational Fishing and will be
great for anglers with plans for more reefs along the coast,” Mr Schumacher said.
The reef is the first of three offshore artificial reefs planned for installation in NSW
over the next five years.
