ABC Radio Australia Interviews the Fish Reef Project

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Could artificial reefs be the key to rejuvenating fish stocks and marine life?

By Evan Wasuka on Pacific Beat

The community of Fisherman Island outside of Port Moresby is using modern technology to rejuvenate the sea floor and improve local fish stocks.

They’re using a artificial, or purpose-built reef, made from special concrete that encourages fish and marine life to develop.

The first reef units were put in place in May and Dr Wilfed Lus of Reef Fish says the early results have been promising.

“When the current hit the reef unit, they caused a lot of upwelling, with nutrients moving back up to the surface we see a lot fish coming to feed on it,” Dr Lus said.

Fisherman’s Island supplies Port Moresby’s main fish market and entered into an agreement with US-based NGO Fish Reef in 2016.

The community agreed to stop dynamite fishing and in return, the project has been able to set up artificial reefs.

Fish Reef’s CEO Chris Goldblatt says PNG is a good environment for artificial reefs.

“There is no coral bleaching in PNG… [that] makes it unique. It has one of the highest level of biodiversity in the world …there is a population that really respects having healthy oceans,” Mr Goldblatt said.

Reef Fish is keen to now take its technology to other parts of PNG and Melanesia.

Duration: 4min 32sec

Broadcast:

Fish Reef Project interviewed on EMTV in PNG

Fish Reef Project Interviewed on EMTV in PNG

 

Papua New Guinea will have the ingenuity of an American reefing project to build artificial reefs to save the marine inhabitants in the country from being further depleted by over fishing. The Fish Reef Project, based out of Santa Barbara in the US, has come to PNG to share their expertise at making purpose-built reefs. The first rehabilitation site will be Fisherman’s Island; an island about ten kilometers off-shore from Port Moresby.

-EMTV

PNG Reef Successfully Deployed


After many years of hard work and dedication, we have successfully deployed all 21 of the long-awaited reefs for coral restoration in Papua New Guinea! We are incredibly proud of the result of such diligence and generosity from our team and from all of our supporters around the world. We will continue to make strides towards building this project into a Global Force For Ocean Health™ — both across the globe and close to home for generations to come.

View Photo Gallery of the Making & Deployment of the Reef

Fish Reef Project Includes Somalia in TGAFR Efforts

Fish Reef Project is proud to include Somalia in its latest efforts to build the Great African Food Reef. We are working with local NGO partners to deploy the first 2000 reef units in Somalia. The cobalt blue waters off the Somali Coast, is home to amazing forms of marine life. Somalia is ready to move ahead and rebuild as they rise from the ashes of decades of civil War and Fish Reef Project is proud to be part of the reconstruction and peace making process.  Somali fishermen are looking forward to having new reefs closer to shore.

Much of the seafloor off Somalia is naked mud and sand; some of the natural reefs have been harmed by human activities.  By building new reefs and providing new structure, it will allow massive amounts of new coral, fish and lobster to thrive and provide food and income for Somalis.  In the past, some Somalis turned to piracy because fish stocks had been depleted from illegal fishing activities, hence it is everyone’s best interest to keep the reefs and fish stock healthy and able to support small scale sustainable fisheries.

Learn More about the Africa Reef Project here >

 

A fishermen tell Somali women that there is no more fish, at the Bossaso harbour in Puntland, Somalia. In the 23 years since Somalia descended into civil war, the country’s waters have been exploited by illegal fisheries, and the economic infrastructure that once provided jobs ravaged. Too often, there was simply no way for young men with limited educations to provide for themselves or their families, and many turned to piracy. Although piracy has decreased in recent years, unless young men in Somalia are provided with appealing livelihood opportunities, there is a chance that they could revert back to piracy. ADESO/ KAREL PRINSLOO.

 

A fishermen tell Somali women that there is no more fish, at the Bossaso harbour in Puntland, Somalia. In the 23 years since Somalia descended into civil war, the country’s waters have been exploited by illegal fisheries, and the economic infrastructure that once provided jobs ravaged. Too often, there was simply no way for young men with limited educations to provide for themselves or their families, and many turned to piracy. Although piracy has decreased in recent years, unless young men in Somalia are provided with appealing livelihood opportunities, there is a chance that they could revert back to piracy. ADESO/ KAREL PRINSLOO.

FRP Visits the African Union

FRP recently visited the African Union in Ethiopia and received substantial support for our continent-wide Great African Food Reef Project. This project will restore and enhance thousands of acres of ocean, feed and employ millions of Africans over time, while reducing pressure on natural reefs.

 

Here’s a few more photos from our recent trip to Africa

( Artist Rendition of the Great African Food Reef map )