Two more reefs in Corio Bay 10 February 2021
TWO major fishing reef projects near Geelong are complete, creating more fishing opportunities.
The first project has delivered three reefs at Outer Harbour, St Helens and Kirk Point, each named with help from the community.
The trio of reefs were constructed with 2,000 tonnes of basalt as a base, sourced from the nearby Cherry Creek juvenile justice facility with help from VRFish and topped with 100 tonnes of limestone. This combination provided the perfect substrate upon which to seed 400,000 native flat oysters and 10 tonnes of blue mussels.
Oysters were sourced from the Victorian Shellfish Hatchery at Queenscliff and the mussels came from a local grower, Advanced Mussel Supply. Oysters and mussels will improve water quality, create diversity in sea floor fish habitats and boost productivity for fish and invertebrates.
VIC Premier
Fishing clubs and community groups across Victoria will have more access to funds to improve fishing in their local area thanks to a new category of Recreational Fishing Grants.
Minister for Fishing and Boating Melissa Horne said the new intermediate category of grants was funded by fishing licence fees and complements the Andrews Labor Government’s $35 million Target One Million plan, to get more people fishing, more often, in more places.
The new intermediate grants category will be open year-round for applications from fishing clubs and not-for-profit community groups. Grants will be available for projects valued between $5,000 and $50,000 will be run alongside the existing small and large grants programs.