An partnership between the state government and The Nature Conservancy will help build a second shellfish reef in SA, which will boost fish numbers and create jobs.
SA's first 20-hectare shellfish reef near Ardrossan - Windara Reef - is about to be completed and a second reef has begun construction.
The new reef will be constructed in Adelaide's metropolitan waters in the Gulf St Vincent, with the exact location to be guided by science in consultation with the community, including via a YourSAy engagement.
Environment and Water Minister David Speirs said the state government had invested $1.2 million into the reef to create a flourishing marine environment that creates new habitat and supports fish.
"I am looking forward to working to deliver a habitat that will boost fish productivity, create more than 10 full-time jobs and improve water quality in the region," he said.
The new reef will be about the size of Adelaide Oval or approximately 2ha and is expected to be completed by late 2020.
"TNC is the world's largest conservation organisation and has international and national expertise in reef restoration projects, including rebuilding over 60 reefs globally," Mr Speirs said.
TNC Australian director Rich Gilmore said the metropolitan shellfish reef would be constructed with a limestone reef base over which hatchery raised Australian Flat Oysters would be deployed to re-create a living shellfish reef throughout the next several years.
"Shellfish reefs once characterised the sheltered nearshore areas of SA, but from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s reefs suffered - here and in many places around the world - from the impact of wild harvest, oyster dredging and water pollution," Mr Gilmore said.
"Shellfish reefs are virtually absent from SA waters," he said.
"With Windara Reef nearly completed and a new metropolitan shellfish reef in the works, over time as the oysters grow and develop, these reefs will deliver productive and resilient habitat for marine life."
The reef will be closely monitored to provide important information about its health and the benefits to the Adelaide coastal environment.
