Recreational fishers get hooked on Peel-Harvey black bream
Local fishing conservation group OzFish Peel-Harvey Chapter are hosting a free community event on Wednesday 21 July at the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club to boost local fish habitat restoration initiatives.
Participants can hear from local fishing guru Sean “Bear” Forward about his experiences of fishing for bream and the changes he has seen over the last 20 years in the Peel-Harvey Catchment. Bear is one of the first WA anglers to take up competitive lure only fishing for bream and helped form the bream master forum where anglers share tips and experiences on catching bream on both soft and hard body lures.
Shellfish reefs will also form part of the evenings’ discussion as they are vital fish habitat, made up of algae and mussels. These reefs are prolific fish factories that support important fish species like black bream whilst also helping to improve water quality and increase biodiversity.
Fishing conservation charity OzFish will host shellfish restoration expert Richard Campbell from The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Richard will talk about the Mandurah Mussel Garden Project and the importance of shellfish restoration for improving fish habitat. TNC aims to restore mussel reefs over 500 square meters at key points in the estuary. This will be ‘seeded’ with the mussels grown by community mussel gardeners to help establish the shellfish reefs.
To support this project, OzFish is currently planning to undertake underwater habitat monitoring which will map historic mussel beds as well as seagrass distribution and health.
Senior Project Manager Andrew Matthews from OzFish will be updating fishers about the Mussel Mania Citizen Science Project.
“Mandurah residents can now get directly involved in discovering and monitoring shellfish reefs in the Peel-Harvey estuary and new members and interested community members can join in restoration initiatives.
“Recreational fishers and local residents have a deep connection and understanding on the ecology of their waterways. Their desire to see change has been observed through an immediate interest to get involved in habitat restoration projects that improve water quality and fishing opportunities,” said Andrew.
The free event will be held at the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club at 6pm on Wednesday 21 July. Tickets are limited, free nibbles will be served, and drinks are available at the bar. Attendees are encouraged to register to ensure covid safety. Tickets are available now.
If you would like to know more about the local OzFish Chapter or get involved with exciting restoration projects, become a member of OzFish or contact 1800 431 308.