Community conservation on show at Open Day
The community is invited to participate in the reseeding of seagrass meadows at the upcoming community planting day on Saturday 20 November at the Cockburn Power Boat Club.
The successful Seeds for Snapper project in Cockburn Sound is in its fourth year and OzFish is aiming to collect more than 1 million seagrass seeds and restore hectares of lost seagrass.
This time of year, seagrass fruit ripens and often ends up on the beach or areas it cannot grow. An army of OzFish volunteers have been collecting this fruit by hand to extract the seed which is then dispersed to help rejuvenate the health of Western Australia’s Cockburn Sound seagrass meadow.
The community seeding activities will take place at the Cockburn Powerboat Club open day where the community can work up an appetite with food stalls available to cater in a family fun atmosphere.
Steve Pursell, OzFish Project Manager for Western Australia, is calling for local community members and rec fishers to get involved.
“If you own a boat, we need your help to disperse seagrass seeds. Come along to the Power Boat Club on November 20 for their open day and see what the project is all about,” said Steve.
“We’re looking for vessels that are over 4.2 metres and have a GPS linked navigation system. No other specialised equipment is needed to get involved as OzFish will provide both the seeds and the GPS coordinates where the seeds will need to be dispersed.
“This will be a great chance for the community to spend a few hours restoring their backyard marine environment and then kick back with those who share similar interests.
“Cockburn Sound is an important nursery ground for a variety of marine animals including calamari, whiting, blue swimmer crabs, and of course our baby pink snapper,” said Steve.
OzFish will be working together with leading scientists to bring these important meadows back and help ensure this crucial snapper fishery is sustained for future generations.
This project is supported by Recfishwest and was made possible by the WA Government’s Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund, BCF – Boating Camping Fishing, Cockburn Powerboat Association, City of Cockburn, and Kwinana Industry Council.