Funding boost for project helping to bring Oyster Harbour shellfish reefs back from the brink

A project helping to restore Oyster Harbour to its former glory will continue after securing a $1.8 million boost from the Federal Government. Oyster Harbour is one of at least 11 native shellfish reef ecosystems to be revived under the $20 million Reef Builder program, led by The Nature Conservancy Australia. Overharvesting, dredging and water pollution have led to the destruction of more than 90 per cent of Australia’s coastal shellfish reefs, according to The Nature Conservancy. The project aims to bring back local systems from the brink of extinction with native shellfish used to filter water, rejuvenate fish stocks and generate tourism. As part of the first stage of the project, two limestone oyster reefs were deployed in Oyster Harbour last year, covering 1650sqm of the sea floor. With the help of more than 250 local volunteers, one million juvenile Australian flat oysters from the local Albany Shellfish Hatchery were released into the water. An additional 2000 mature oysters, grown at the Harvest Road aquaculture lease, were also placed on the reefs. The reefs have exceeded researchers’ expectations. The Nature Conservancy operations manager Dr Fiona Valesini said up to 80 per cent of the oysters were surviving. “We are getting lots of new recruits, which are baby oysters, coming onto those reefs naturally,” she said. “We are also starting to see a really lovely boost in local fish stocks including things like pink snapper and cuttlefish.” Dr Valesini said the extra funding announced last week would help build on the success of the first phase. “We’ve made a start with our first round of work but really this second phase of work is helping to grow the scale of those reefs to give what was a historical habitat another boost,” she said. Dr Valesini said The Nature Conservancy would hopefully start expanding the reef in the second half of 2021. Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson said the funding would sustain projects that would create “lasting legacies” for regional communities.