Up to 10 tonnes of adult breeding Roe’s abalone will find new homes along Perth’s coast as part of a translocation project to protect the future sustainability of the fishery ahead of the Ocean Reef Marina development.
The project to move 100,000 Roe’s abalone from the area around the Ocean Reef Marina development site has already seen about 68,000 abalone relocated to other reef platforms within the Marmion Marine Park.
The remaining abalone will be relocated between Trigg and Hillarys prior to work starting on the marina development later in 2020.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is co-ordinating the project in collaboration with commercial abalone divers who collect the prized shellfish.
The department has worked closely with the West Coast Abalone Divers Association to maximise the success of the translocation.
DevelopmentWA is developing Ocean Reef Marina in collaboration with the City of Joondalup.
The development has already undergone a Public Environmental Review, the highest level of environmental assessment, and been granted conditional approval to proceed.
Some of the conditions imposed included:
- development of monitoring and management plans to minimise any impacts to marine water quality outside the marina and adjacent beaches;
- translocation of Roe’s abalone; and
- measures to improve the management and protection of similar marine nearshore habitats in the Marmion Marine Park.
The WA Government has committed $120 million for the marina over the life of the project, which is expected to generate more than $500 million in private sector investment and create more than 900 local jobs.
Source: WA Government