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Latest News Recreational Fishing Reefs in PPB
Recreational Fishing Reefs in PPB
The Port Phillip Bay Recreational Fishing Reefs were officially launched by the Minister Responsible for Fisheries Joe Helper on May 16. They are one of a range of initiatives that the Victorian Government is undertaking to enhance recreational fishing opportunities and facilities under the Enhanced Recreational Fishing Program.
This initiative involves trialling the deployment of three new reefs in Port Phillip Bay. Scientific studies will be undertaken over the next three years to assess the potential of these reefs to provide new opportunities for recreational fishers, consistent with protecting the local marine environment.
The trials will be conducted in consultation with the Department of Sustainability and Environment and other relevant Government agencies. Monitoring of the effects of the new reefs on local fish populations and a range of other marine species will be a key focus of these trials.
What are they named and where are the new reefs?
The location of the trial reefs was selected, based on social, economic and environmental criteria including identifying areas of Port Phillip Bay in which the least amount of commercial fishing catch and effort has been recorded over the last four years. The three areas chosen after consideration of the criteria are in a water depth of approximately 11 metres out from Aspendale, Seaford and Frankston. A public naming competition was held across Easter in 09 and came up with names Rec Reef (after the recreational value of fishing to many Victorians) and Yakka Reef (to reflect the growing number of kayaks in Port Phillip Bay). Tedesco Reef was later named in honour of Neil Tedesco who tragically died in a diving accident in April 2009.
The reef at Aspendale is named Rec Reef to highlight the use of these reefs to improve recreational fishing.
The reef at Seaford is named Tedesco Reef to pay tribute to Neil Tedesco who passed away on 16 April 2009 at age 31. Neil was a devoted fisher and diver and a true ambassador for these sports.
The reef at Frankston is named Yakka Reef after the growing number of people using kayaks in the bay as an environmentally-friendly way to go fishing.
On 16 April, the Fisheries Notice (Artificial Reef Trial Exclusion Zone) was gazetted, to introduce commercial exclusion zones (1km²) around the three new reef trials in Port Phillip Bay to enable accurate monitoring of recreational use of the reefs and maximise opportunities for recreational fishers to catch fish at these sites. The reefs are expected to be rapidly colonised by marine life, but are likely to take several years to reach their full angling potential. Anglers can expect the reefs to provide new fishing opportunities from September 2009, when the snapper season commences. |
