Artificial Reefs and Habitat Enhancements Policy

1. TARFish will support proposals for artificial reefs which are for the purpose of protecting, regenerating, concentrating or increasing populations of living marine resources with particular emphasis on fish and the resources fish require, or to provide additional areas for recreational fishers. 

2. We do not support artificial reefs which simply aggregate fish from surrounding areas but do not result in greater production of fish, that is, artificial reefs which have no net benefit for fish populations. 

3. We are interested in pursuing proposals which propose shared use with other users such as commercial fishers or non extractive users.

4. For TARFish to decide its support for a proposal for an artificial reef, the proposal must cover at least:- 

a.     an analysis of the environmental impact of the proposed artificial reef over a significant period, 

b.     the desired and planned beneficial effects of the project on marine life, 

c.     the potential adverse effects of the project on marine life, 

d.     navigation safety, 

e.     the level of community support, 

f.      site accessibility to the public, 

g.     the monitoring plan, and

h.     the design and construction details. 

Policy effective from: 11 March 2009