The major project the Chapter has been involved in is the restoration of shellfish reefs.
Following 8 years of research and development and after approvals from the Queensland Government, three types of experimental shellfish reef substrates were installed in a one-hectare location off Kakadu Beach, Bribie Island to enhance the fish stocks and marine biodiversity and eventually improve water quality. The first shellfish reef modules were deployed into Pumicestone Passage on 12 December 2017.
The project is comparing the performance of patch reefs made from recycled oyster shells and live oysters and two string reef designs, one from steel cages filled with recycled oyster shells, and one from biodegradable potato starch developed in the Netherlands and being used for the first time in Australia.
To save this ecologically important byproduct, OzFish North Moreton created the Shell Recycling Centre in Ningi Transfer Station to reclaim used shell, free of charge from restaurants and other seafood businesses. Shell that otherwise would be dumped in landfills is now recycled, cleaned, treated and put back into the waters of North Moreton to accelerate shellfish restoration.
With the help of the Moreton Bay Regional Council, local restaurants and OzFish volunteers, we have begun an oyster shell recycling initiative to help generate clean and safe shell substrate for restoring local oyster reefs.
As waterway stewards members of the OzFish North Moreton Chapter regularly participates and coordinates local clean up activities such as Clean Up Australia Day to address the environmental issues of waste, water and climate change.
North Moreton Chapter is dedicated to community education and has delivered numerous presentations on shellfish reef awareness to community groups and local schools. The Chapter works closely with local schools, educating science students about the importance of oyster reefs and fish habitats in their backyard.
The North Moreton Shellfish Reef Restoration project is currently being monitored by the University of the Sunshine Coast marine science team (fish monitoring) and OzFish Unlimited (invertebrate monitoring).
The initial research trial period of three years will be coming to a close at the end of 2020, however, an application for an extension is currently being considered. It is hoped that the impressive results to date will ensure the future success of this, and other, reef restoration projects with the Moreton Bay Marine Park area remains.
This video shows you just a taste of what is happening on the restored reef.
OzFish Unlimited, in partnership with the Tangaroa Blue Foundation, are today calling on Queensland rec fishers to look after their tackle in a bid to reduce fishing litter in local waterways with more ways to get involved.
Recycling used oyster shells for reef restoration work can be slow and dirty work. Australia’s only fishing conservation charity, OzFish Unlimited, recently welcomed a new purpose-built shell washer to accelerate the recycling process for its dedicated volunteers at Pumicestone Passage. The washer will clean recycled shells within the Shell Recycling Centre at the Ningi Transfer Station before they are sterilised in the sun for up to 4 months. OzFish Pumicestone Chapter purchased the washer with the help of a grant from the Australian Government’s Communities Environment Program that supports community groups to address local environmental outcomes.
The project to restore the once magnificent shellfish beds of the Pumicestone Passage will be enhanced for the second time on Friday, December 6 with more reef structures of recycled shell being installed off Kakadu Beach. Shellfish have been synonymous with indigenous culture and Moreton Bay for thousands of years, but shellfish communities are now functionally extinct in the Pumicestone Passage due to over-harvesting, disease and poor water quality. On 6 December, the third infill stage of The Pumicestone Shellfish Habitat Restoration Project will further enhance marine biodiversity and fish stocks and ultimately improve water quality in the Moreton Bay Region. This subtidal shellfish habitat project is the first of its kind approved in Queensland, and Healthy Land and Water is in negotiation with Marine Parks to extend the life of the project beyond three years.