Arti Reefs update. MBMP. June 2010

[Lucky_Phill]

MoretonBayMarinePark Artificial Reefs

About 440tons of Concrete pipes will be placed in 4 different positions at Harry Atkinson Reef by the end of June 2010.


These pipes were “ materials of opportunity “ from a Brisbane based business and the QPWS has taken up this offer to further enhance the structure within the Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef area. Specific co-ordinates for the pipes will be made available on the QPWS website in the near future.

This is a bonus for recreational anglers of Moreton Bay in that the costs of this exercise were minimal and allows for more materials and structures to be obtained or built within the budget.

An EOI ( expression of interest ) document has been released by QPWS for the design, construction and possible placement of purpose built artificial reefs other nominated sites within the MBMP. This process should have a result by mid July with construction of the structures starting asap.

There have been 2 other sites ratified within the park and are specifically designed for the small vessel / kayak fishermen, that being very close to the mainland and in a position as to allow fishing in moderate weather conditions. These sites are near Coochimudlo and Peel Islands.

It is envisaged that should more materials of opportunity arise and the budget allows, a small artificial reef could be placed within the Ted Smout bridge fishing platform area.

A huge win for recreational anglers and QPWS is the gifting of all concrete pylons from the old ‘ Hornibrook Highway “ bridge. This offer is well received by all stakeholders in the working group and represents a minimum of 4200 tons and maximum of 7000 tons. Removal and deployment of this material will take place asap.

The QPWS hopes to have all artificial reefs completed to budget by March 2011. The sites are:-

Wild Banks
North Moreton
South Straddie
Harry Atkinson
West Peel
East Coochie

Possibly Ted Smout.

For further information please contact me.

Regards

Phill Kliese
Assistant Secretary
ECOfishers Qld Inc.

[3rd degree]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop Phil!

Cheers

Jim

[Obi _ Wan]

Extremely dissapointed that i have heard no news of them dropping some of the old concrete piles from the Hornibrook Hwy. bridge in three or four places out the front of the Redcliffe Peninsular. Particularly after we have lost all that reef area at Woody Point/Margate to a Green Zone, a lot of small boats fished that area, and really you should see Scarby Reef, the number of boats trying to fish it resembles a car park at a State of Orign match.

Cheers,
John.

[Axl]

That is good news lets hope it all comes off thanks Lucky_Phill.

[pickers]

a lot of small boats fished that area, and really you should see Scarby Reef, the number of boats trying to fish it resembles a car park at a State of Orign match.

Cheers,
John.

mate it's no different down this end of the bay when you get a good forecast for the day...everywhere is like a carpark....good days to stay home I think....better fishing with a bit of slop on the water anyway.
what a stroke of luck to get ahold of all those pilons to use for next to nicks , captain bligh should be strapped to one...no...three of them...just in case she breaks free of the first one...hahaha
Pickers

[Sandman]

MoretonBayMarinePark Artificial Reefs

About 440tons of Concrete pipes will be placed in 4 different positions at Harry Atkinson Reef by the end of June 2010.


These pipes were “ materials of opportunity “ from a Brisbane based business and the QPWS has taken up this offer to further enhance the structure within the Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef area. Specific co-ordinates for the pipes will be made available on the QPWS website in the near future.

This is a bonus for recreational anglers of Moreton Bay in that the costs of this exercise were minimal and allows for more materials and structures to be obtained or built within the budget.

An EOI ( expression of interest ) document has been released by QPWS for the design, construction and possible placement of purpose built artificial reefs other nominated sites within the MBMP. This process should have a result by mid July with construction of the structures starting asap.

There have been 2 other sites ratified within the park and are specifically designed for the small vessel / kayak fishermen, that being very close to the mainland and in a position as to allow fishing in moderate weather conditions. These sites are near Coochimudlo and Peel Islands.

It is envisaged that should more materials of opportunity arise and the budget allows, a small artificial reef could be placed within the Ted Smout bridge fishing platform area.

A huge win for recreational anglers and QPWS is the gifting of all concrete pylons from the old ‘ Hornibrook Highway “ bridge. This offer is well received by all stakeholders in the working group and represents a minimum of 4200 tons and maximum of 7000 tons. Removal and deployment of this material will take place asap.

The QPWS hopes to have all artificial reefs completed to budget by March 2011. The sites are:-

Wild Banks
North Moreton
South Straddie
Harry Atkinson
West Peel
East Coochie

Possibly Ted Smout.

For further information please contact me.

Regards

Phill Kliese
Assistant Secretary
ECOfishers Qld Inc.

What a Joke IMO !!!! Good for the fisho and i guess the pylons have been in the water for sometime , but spare me the BS !!! If funding permits blah blah blah , they were committed they should follow through with the reefs it took them to long to get were we are now and it was far to easy for them to take it away.

Basically we are congratulating them on dumping old waste in the water, maybe other materials of oppurtunity could be offered from fisho's on this site , i could have offerd 30 or so house stumps a couple of months ago just as good, what happened to getting it right and "protecting the bay" From what i am reading we are reverting back to dumping car bodies , old boats , tyres etc what happened to the millions that went into researching the most enviromental arti?

Blah Blah Blah

[Lucky_Phill]

No cars bodies, no tyres, etc.

The research ( didn't take millions ) has been done and the best materials have been found to be those sort and used. Are we dumping ? I suppose it could be looked at in that way, or are we creating something that has been taken away ? The initial use / purpose of an arti is to provide a platform for marine growth, both plant and animal in the hope of establishing a new and or extending a natural habitat.

Iron / steel is by far the best for attracting marine growth in the shortest possible time. There will be steel structures purpose built for 3 offshore sites.

Certain, cement / concrete is also well regarded because of it's ability to hold bottom and stabilise.

If anyone has ' materials of opportunity ", they are certainly welcome to contact the QPWS and offer said materials. What has to be taken into account is that there is a budget, once that money is gone.that's it. Unless, of course we can convince the minister that more funds are needed to enhance the existing reefs or create new ones.

Just offering materials of opportunity is not an answer. There is the logistics of " cleaning / making ready " the materials, moving them from original location to a storage facility, placing them on a barge, figuring the best location for deployment and actually deploying the materials in that suitable location.

For example, the Tiwi Pearl cost $80,000 to precure in a " ready " state. It cost another $100,000 plus to get it to the Harry Atkinson and deploy it in position. When the budget is only $2 mill, that really does not go a long way, ( divided into 6 reefs with 3 offshore ) especially if one wants to " design, build and deploy " specific artis'. Materials of opportunity are far and away the most economical artificial reef material, but are only suitable for specific reef types. Some overseas countries like Korea spend hundreds of millions of dollars on their artis’ and have been doing so for many years with great success. That success is measured both in economic and social value.

I agree, it has taken far too long, and that sentiment was echoed at the meetings by ALL stakeholders. It was suggested that should future zonings be considered, that pre-zoning artis' be implemented now that all research, design, consulting and management programs are in place.

The QPWS, DEERM, DPI&F and various Government departments do NOT look at this as compensation for the recreational angler, but simply a means to displace the concentration of marine users. Compensation was only offered to commercial operators that the zoning impacted on.

Regards

Phill

[FNQCairns]

No cars bodies, no tyres, etc.

The research ( didn't take millions ) has been done and the best materials have been found to be those sort and used. Are we dumping ? I suppose it could be looked at in that way, or are we creating something that has been taken away ? The initial use / purpose of an arti is to provide a platform for marine growth, both plant and animal in the hope of establishing a new and or extending a natural habitat.

Iron / steel is by far the best for attracting marine growth in the shortest possible time. There will be steel structures purpose built for 3 offshore sites.

Certain, cement / concrete is also well regarded because of it's ability to hold bottom and stabilise.

If anyone has ' materials of opportunity ", they are certainly welcome to contact the QPWS and offer said materials. What has to be taken into account is that there is a budget, once that money is gone.that's it. Unless, of course we can convince the minister that more funds are needed to enhance the existing reefs or create new ones.

Just offering materials of opportunity is not an answer. There is the logistics of " cleaning / making ready " the materials, moving them from original location to a storage facility, placing them on a barge, figuring the best location for deployment and actually deploying the materials in that suitable location.

For example, the Tiwi Pearl cost $80,000 to precure in a " ready " state. It cost another $100,000 plus to get it to the Harry Atkinson and deploy it in position. When the budget is only $2 mill, that really does not go a long way, ( divided into 6 reefs with 3 offshore ) especially if one wants to " design, build and deploy " specific artis'. Materials of opportunity are far and away the most economical artificial reef material, but are only suitable for specific reef types. Some overseas countries like Korea spend hundreds of millions of dollars on their artis’ and have been doing so for many years with great success. That success is measured both in economic and social value.

I agree, it has taken far too long, and that sentiment was echoed at the meetings by ALL stakeholders. It was suggested that should future zonings be considered, that pre-zoning artis' be implemented now that all research, design, consulting and management programs are in place.

The QPWS, DEERM, DPI&F and various Government departments do NOT look at this as compensation for the recreational angler, but simply a means to displace the concentration of marine users. Compensation was only offered to commercial operators that the zoning impacted on.

Regards

Phill

Never a truer sentence written regarding past, current and future angler V government/their pet conservation groups, within the political status quo


These reefs where never a win for Anglers irrespective of the pandered government press releases to that effect. As far as having a respected voice, Anglers as an interest group of value have not yet scratched the surface.

[Sandman]

Never a truer sentence written regarding past, current and future angler V government/their pet conservation groups, within the political status quo


These reefs where never a win for Anglers irrespective of the pandered government press releases to that effect. As far as having a respected voice, Anglers as an interest group of value have not yet scratched the surface.

While we displace concrete!! i hear what your saying Phil however i recall a discussion about arti reefs and suitable material prior to all of this going ahead , i was even suprised to see the pearl go down , all a big rush job IMO mean while everyone is bang o about a clean bay less pollutants etc if the Pearl can go in i can not see a good argument as to why a bus or car can not go down equally i can not see any reason as to why alot of demo cement pylons can not go in !!!? Well the $100 000 should be spent on it to remove all the oil paint etc as well to make it safe for divers ? or is it not a dive free zone?
Anyway am a little on my soap box today but i dont really see it as a win just alot of BS to me.

[Lucky_Phill]

To " Ready " any materials and specifically a boat for sinking, it has all oils, grease, asbestos, engines, toxins, etc removed. The only thing remaining is paint and metal.

ALL artificial reefs deployed by QPWS in the Moreton Bay Marine Park are for recreational anglers only.

NO divers allowed, no commercial operations allowed.

A good argument for not having cars and buses etc is stability. They are too light and are prone to movement with heavy tidal flows etc. They also do not provide " bang for buck '.

" they were committed they should follow through with the reefs it took them to long to get were we are now and it was far to easy for them to take it away. "

" i was even suprised to see the pearl go down , all a big rush job IMO "

At the end of the day whether they took too long or rushed it ?????? The process has started and the commitment made. S.O.B.A. and the like jumped up and down about this for some time after the zoning, but when we realized that yapping on did not get things done, we became actively involved in the decision making process by engaging the department that is responsible for this. Hence…..ECOfishers.

This engagement, instead of head banging and soap box stomping has lead to the announcement you are getting now. Myself and others have gone down the path of being pro-active on behalf of Qld anglers, whether they endorse us / me or not. I do not apologize for sitting down with department reps and making decisions that I feel are in the best interest of recreational anglers, particularly in the MBMP arena.

By best interests of recreational anglers, I really mean the angler, the habitat and the encompassing environment that is " the fishery ".

The QPWS do not legislate, police or manage the whole of the issue at hand. The Pollution spoken about regarding MBMP is handled by DEERM ( ex EPA ) and that department, although willing to do their job, often gets over-ruled by State Development.

Yes, it does not matter what great decisions are made by QPWS, DPI&F or DEERM........ if the Minister / Premier wants development on our foreshores, wants to dig up our mangroves or dredge the bejesus out of our bay, then they / she will do it. Unfortunately, many of us ( and me included until recently ) do not have a good understanding on how government works and never will, until you become involved with the faces of the folks within departments trying to do the right thing, but in the end getting shafted as much as the rec fisho. We can deploy many arti’s and do all sorts of good work in relation to the fishery, but if State Development are left to rule the roost and continue to ignore the real problem in pollution, then our work is for nothing. You cannot create or re-build a habitat if the water conditions are not right.

If representative groups from stakeholders did not sit on these working groups, projects like this may get swallowed up in red tape and all funds allocated get chewed up with “ administration “ .

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on this subject, but if anyone simply wants to type out a few words of disapproval, I want to know what they have actively done to remedy the situation themselves so that their stance or opinion can be a qualified one. This is not directed at you Mick, but at anyone and everyone I have seen post up disapprovals and think that by saying a few words on an internet chat forum, they have done their bit to help right a wrong, to solve an issue or even doing their part in a process.

I am unable to change the past, but I sure as hell have an opportunity to determine the future of not only my recreational fishing activities and my children’s’ activities, but also the habitat and playground that I cherish way too much to sit idly by and watch its decimation.

Regards

Phill Kliese

[Horse]

I think this is all good news for us fishos. Its good to hear of a few more areas under consideration within reach of the average fisho in a 4m tinny. Materials of convenience were the only option given the small budget. Now we have to get thios first stage in place and start working on future areas.
There is no reason we cant have dozens of spots like Harries to spread the load a bit and take pressure off natural structures that get hit so hard
I wonder if its feasible to "salt" the concrete with something that would encourage rapid marine growth rather than just providing structure

[Sandman]

I think this is all good news for us fishos. Its good to hear of a few more areas under consideration within reach of the average fisho in a 4m tinny. Materials of convenience were the only option given the small budget. Now we have to get thios first stage in place and start working on future areas.
There is no reason we cant have dozens of spots like Harries to spread the load a bit and take pressure off natural structures that get hit so hard
I wonder if its feasible to "salt" the concrete with something that would encourage rapid marine growth rather than just providing structure

Thats the point i guess i am making within all of this , yes there is a cost and yes 2 million doesnt go far but when "we" i included got involved in save our our bay from green zones we discussed the impact it has on local buisness etc , how much rec fishing brings to the bay its self - there should be more lobbing for arti reefs and excuse my ignorance if this is happening but i walked away from this debate sometime ago. Phil same goes i am not directing any comentry to you alone i think you all have done well to stick with it and you have a hard job doing so. The issue around materials does rub me up the wrong way there is plently of material out there available be it cement or steel ships large machinary.

Best of luck

[Lucky_Phill]

Thanks, don't worry, we are looking at ALL offers and possibilities, but always keeping in mind the budget and environmental impact. I agree also that more funding should be available....... the commercial sector got $16mill.

Neil,

Steel structures submerged attract growth within weeks while concrete takes a little longer, but in the meantime provides ' shelter ' to the smaller marine animals, which in turn attract larger ones ( predators ). Concrete is derived from the ocean initially anyway.

I could give an insight into how a location for an arti is selected, but it is a long process. I will say that Commercial operations ( trawling and crabbing ) are taken into account, water depth, tidal flows, existing natural structure, Port Authority undertakings, MBMP zonings, any over-riding Federal Govt regulations, substrate suitability and more. To that end there are limited areas within MBMP ( inside the bay ) that artis' can be placed.

Having said that, offshore areas have only scratched the surface.

Maybe I could look at the area that the Brisbane Airport Corporation are going to rip out 40 odd million cubic meters of sand for the new Airport Extension ????

I also believe the areas off Redcliffe need to be looked at a little closer to determine their suitability for some artis'.

I will keep you all up to date as possible.

Thanks for all input and comments.


Phill

[tunaticer]

I have two concrete agitiator bowls from the concrete trucks we see driving around the roads, heavily encrusted internally with concrete but are clean of all oil based contaminants. These would make great artificial reef structures if I could donate them.

Does anyone have a direct contact with whom I should talk to about getting these off my hands?

They are so heavily encrusted they can not be sent to metal recyclers and they are unsuitable for landfill because they are hollow.

I need to be rid of these two agitators within the next fortnight to make way for new work.

[Blythy]

I was out at harries this morning, and behold on the horizon were two large barges full of concrete pipes that proceeded to make their way towards the arti. At about 8am they started deploying the pipes into the blue abyss (scared the sh#t out of all the fish), any way I’ve got GPS marks that I’ll post later tonight.