News
Artificial Reef Program update Artificial reefs made out of concrete ?Reef Balls? are a new approach being undertaken by NSW DPI to improve the environment for fish in barren areas of three Recreational Fishing Havens; Lake Macquarie, Botany Bay and St Georges Basin. It is hoped that the new reefs, funded by the Recreational Fishing Trust, will provide improved recreational fishing opportunities, while scientific assessment of the structures will assess their use as a fisheries enhancement tool. Reef Balls are purpose built artificial structures developed in the United States that have been used worldwide for a variety of applications including reef establishment and/or restoration. The Reef Ball reefs mimic natural reef, providing structure and shelter for juvenile fish settlement. Evidence to date suggests that Reef Balls can reach 80% or more of the natural species diversity and population densities of nearby natural reef systems within just a few years. 180 Reef Balls, forming 6 reefs, have already been successfully deployed in Lake Macquarie. Installation of Reef Balls into Botany Bay and St Georges Basin are planned for later this year.
Fish Given Experimental Dome Homes: Reef balls were also used in the ocean off Phuket in Thailand to encourage the recovery of marine life after the 2004 tsunami. Hundreds of the reef balls have been dropped into Lake Macquarie and at another experimental site in Botany Bay. "We're very confident these artificial reefs will make a difference," said NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald. Lake Macquarie fishermen say they already have. "You can go there any time of day or night and pull fish," said charter boat operator Brad Minors. "It's helping tourism.".....
All images are copyrighted 1993-2007 (C) by Reef Ball Foundation, Inc. and by the original photographers. High resolution versions of most newer images are available by emailing your request to reefball@reefball.com. (please provide the URL of the photo requested) Use of images requires a link to www.reefball.org crediting Reef Ball Foundation as the photo source. Please email any photos you have with Reef Ball images to us and we will post in this photo database. Please indicate if you are freely sharing the photos or wish to retain your original copyrights and we will note that when posted.