Shellfish reefs are essential for healthy aquatic ecosystems and have a key role to play in filtering pollutants and nutrients from the water, improving the overall health of a waterway. However, due to overharvesting, siltation, development, and disease, it is estimated that 95% of shellfish reefs have been lost from across South East Queensland. In an effort to restore these vital habitats, members of OzFish Gold Coast Chapter are bringing an innovative shellfish restoration project to Australia’s East Coast.
The ‘Pimp My Jetty’ project was originally trialled by OzFish in the Peel-Harvey estuary in Western Australia. The initiative involved engaging jetty owners to understand the importance and benefits of having thriving shellfish reefs in their area. Ropes made of natural fibres were hung from the jetties, and as more oysters colonized them, they became complex habitats that provided shelter, shade, and food for native fish.
In 2022, more than 50 western jetty owners asked to be included in the project, which was enough for the team at OzFish to package it up, duplicate it, and try it again in both Sydney and the Gold Coast.
The OzFish Gold Coast Chapter will now work with 10 private jetty owners to install environmentally friendly hanging habitat to help restore vitally important shellfish reefs to the local canals, before expanding the project in years to come. The same will happen for Sydney, with the team currently working to gather expressions of interest from jetty owners to use their jetty as a test location.
Returning shellfish reefs to the waterways of the Gold Coast and Sydney is important to supporting native fish. A single oyster can filter up to 180 litres of water every day and remove sediment while improving the clarity and quality of the water. They can also sequester harmful chemicals such as nitrogen, carbon, and microplastics. It is estimated that a hectare of shellfish reef can produce up to 2.5 tonnes more harvestable fish each year.
By bringing the Pimp My Jetty initiative to the east coast, OzFish hopes to enhance knowledge of shellfish communities in urbanized and canal areas, like Gold Coast and Sydney. The monitoring of the installations will also provide important data that can inform this and other projects elsewhere in Australia.
Pimp My Jetty has the potential to be a national program used in every saltwater estuary, but it needs the support. Interested anglers should rally their chapter to show interest to their local OzFish representative, and start a conversation about expanding the project to your backyard.
To find out more about the success of the program in Western Australia, head over to: https://ozfish.org.au/projects/pimp-my-jetty/?swcfpc=1
