Seeds for Snapper Adelaide 2024 set to begin, register now!
The 2024 season of Seeds for Snapper in Adelaide is about to kick off, marking the fifth summer of the community-led seagrass restoration work in South Australia. OzFish members, recreational fishers and keen South Australians are invited to attend the Adelaide Seeds for Snapper 2024 Opening Day to learn more, and to celebrate! Register and come along to the Adelaide Seeds for Snapper 2024 Opening Day on the 24th of November at 12.15 AEDT at the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, Lady Gowrie Drive, in North Haven.
Why does seagrass matter?
Meadows of Posidonia seagrass are crucial for healthy habitat for snapper, and other species beloved by the fishing community, and wildlife lovers.
OzFish SA Project Manager Rachel Williams said, “Seagrass provides critical habitat for species such as snapper, whiting, leafy sea dragons and other marine species. Seeds for Snapper Adelaide helps increase snapper numbers by improving their habitat, so that they can have better places to breed, hide from predators and ambush their prey.”
Seagrass is also good at sequestering carbon, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. “It’s been estimated that seagrass can store 35 times more carbon than a rainforest,” said Rachel.
How does Seeds for Snapper Adelaide help seagrass?
Every summer in South Australia, Posidonia seagrass fruit is expelled from the plant and floats to the sea surface. Although thousands of these fruits are produced each season, many are washed onto the shore by wind and currents. This means the seeds decay, instead of implant, and so don’t contribute to seagrass regrowth.
“Seeds for Snapper gives nature a hand by getting seagrass seeds to the right places, faster,” said Rachel, “where they have the best chance of taking root and growing.”
And this is where the community comes in: “Over the summer, supporters collect seagrass fruit off our beaches,” said Rachel, “and bring it to purpose-built aquaculture tanks. “Then on processing days, the community sew the seagrass into sandbags, which are then deployed back into the ocean.”
When will activities begin?
Locals can expect to see the fruits washing up in late November, early December 2024, and then processing days and other activities will begin and continue into early 2025. “It’s an opportunistic project,” said Rachel. ”We have to follow nature’s timetable, so we need to be flexible.”
How can I get involved?
Anyone can join OzFish and get involved in this project, and others:
- Register your interest to be involved in the 2024 Seeds for Snapper project
- Follow the Seeds For Snapper SA Volunteers (Adelaide & Fleurieu Peninsula) page on Facebook to be kept up to date with updates and events.
- Register and come along to the Adelaide Seeds for Snapper 2024 Opening Day on the 24th of November at 12.15 AEDT at the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, Lady Gowrie Drive, North Haven, SA. Catering provided, for registered attendees.
This project is funded by Green Adelaide and BCF – Boating, Camping and Fishing, with support from Environment Protection Agency SA (EPA SA), South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), RecFish SA, Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, Friends of Port River, Aquatic Biosecurity, and other valued partners.