February 12, 2021
VRFish is thrilled with the completion of two new reef projects near Geelong after an investment of $700,000 in funding from the Victorian Government through Target One Million Phase 2.
The reefs will deliver enriched fish habitat which will provide our fishers with more fishing opportunities for popular saltwater species such as snapper, King George whiting, flathead and calamari.
The first project saw recreational fishing reefs constructed at Outer Harbour, St Helens and Kirk Point after VRFish held a meeting with local fishers to identify the most suitable sites in Corio Bay and the Geelong Arm.
The locations of the reefs are within easy access of existing boat ramps and the reef at the very popular St. Helens carpark is within casting distance of our land-based fishers.
These reefs were built utilising 2,000 tonnes of basalt rock as a base which was sourced from a nearby Department of Justice & Community Safety (DJCS) construction project.
The idea to utilise the basalt rock from the DJCS Cherry Creek juvenile justice facility project came to light thanks to VRFish Board Director, Russell Conway and the support of the Community Safety Building Authority (CSBA) Cherry Creek Project.
Once construction was complete, the reefs were seeded with native oysters and mussels to improve marine diversity, water quality and boost prodictivity for fish populations.
Our fishers can expect to see improved fishing opportunities as a diversity of marine organisms colonise the reefs over the coming months and years.
St. Helens Reef will be called Merv’s Reef, named after the late Merv McGuire who was a former Executive Officer of VRFish. Kirk Point’s reef will be called Wilson Reef, named after Geelong fishing legend and writer Geoff Wilson.
The naming of the reefs is a wonderful recognition for Geoff Wilson and the late Merv McGuire who have made such an outstanding contribution to the Victorian recreational fishing sector in Victoria.
The second project was led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) who restored shellfish reefs at 9ft bank in the Geelong Arm. TNC deployed 100 cubic metres of recycled shell for the restoration.
