Artificial Reefs

Artificial reefs can attract fish, increasing the number of fish available to fishers and providing a focus for recreational divers.

PIRSA Fisheries has installed several artificial reefs to provide new fish habitats. Two different types of artificial reefs have been established:

  • A tyre module reef designed by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). Each module consists of 28 used car tyres strapped together into a tetrahedron and ballasted with concrete.
  • Redundant barges or dredges, towed to selected sites and scuttled.

Several other artificial reefs have been installed by other organisations. Approval to install private artificial reefs must be sought in writing from PIRSA Fisheries as well as other authorities (eg Transport SA).

The location of each reef is shown below.  The coordinates are based on Australian Geocentric Datum 1994 (GDA 94) which coincides almost exactly with WGS 84. Some adjustment may be required depending on GPS navigational system used.



Locality

Latitude

Longitude

 Type
Ardrossan 34°31' 48.88"S 138°03' 47.04"E Barge
Giles Point 35°02' 42.90"S 137°47' 28.96"E Tyre modules
Glenelg 34°58' 43.11"S 138°26' 26.41"E Dredge
Glenelg 34°58' 43.83"S 138°26' 27.85"E Sunken barge
Glenelg
 34°58' 54.63"S 138°26' 40.81"E Tyre modules
Grange 34°54' 54.87"S 138°24’ 4.93"E Tyre modules
Kingscote, Kangaroo Island 35°41' 6.92"S 137°40' 17.00"E Tyre modules
Port Augusta 32°39' 54.86"S 137°45' 52.71"E Tyre modules
Port Broughton 33°32' 54.75"S 137°51' 28.99"E Car bodies
Port Germein 33°03' 36.85"S 137°59' 52.96"E Pipes
Port Lincoln 34°40' 54.73"S 135°52' 28.90"E Sunken vessel
Port Neill 34°06' 36.94"S 136°22' 41.09"E Sunken vessel
Port Noarlunga 35°08' 48.64"S 138°26' 35.06"E Tyre modules
Port Pirie 33°05' 6.86"S 137°54' 22.85"E Tyre modules
Streaky Bay 32°43' 55.47"S 134°14' 48.77"E Tyre modules
Wallaroo 33°51' 24.65"S 137°34' 23.02"E Tyre modules
Whyalla 32°58' 0.62"S 137°46' 58.97"E Tyre modules
Whyalla
 32°59' 36.74"S 137°47' 10.85"E Tyre modules
Whyalla
 33°06' 12.75"S 137°36' 22.86"E Tyre modules



The barge at Ardrossan has been provided as an alternative fishing spot to the ‘Zanoni’ historic wreck site (where fishing is banned within 550 metres of the buoy marking the wreck). The artificial reef is one nautical mile south of the ‘Zanoni’.
 
Do artificial reefs work?