Six months on from its installation, Port Macquarie’s new artificial reef has been hailed a success.
The Department of Primary Industries says 15 species of fish have already been identified in the ecosystem.
“We’re not just seeing adult fish, we’re seeing lots of juvenile fish – and for us that’s a really good indication that the reef is providing a productive benefit for the area, it’s not just pulling fish from other areas,” DPI Fisheries Enhancement Manager Heath Folpp said.
The reef was designed to boost recreational fishing off the coast, with the environment predominantly sand.
“It’ll continue to change over the next sort of 3 to 5 years, after that I think it’ll stabilize and you’ll see a community on the reef that’s very similar to the natural reef that’s found in that area.”
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