New Whitsunday Moorings To Protect Reef

The Queensland State Government will install new environmentally friendly public moorings across the Whitsundays to protect The Great Barrier Reef.

Thirty public moorings will be installed by Townsville-based company Pacific Marine Group to reduce harmful anchoring in the Great Barrier Reef and improve access to the World Heritage Listed site.

Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Meaghan Scanlon said the Reef’s status as Queensland’s most iconic natural asset requires investment designed to protect it, “while also supporting a sustainable reef-based tourism industry.”

“There are now 309 public moorings and 289 reef protection markers throughout the Great Barrier Reef that can be used by recreational boaties and reef-based tourism operators,” Ms Scanlon said.

“Investing in eco-friendly moorings is not just good for the environment, but also good for the local economy as it attracts eco-conscious tourists who are willing to pay for sustainable tourism experiences.”

Ms Scanlon said the moorings help reduce the impact of boat anchors on coral reefs, seagrass beds and other sensitive marine habitats, which in turn supports the long-term health and resilience of these important ecosystems.

More of the environmentally friendly vessel moorings will be located at key points on the Reef to provide safe and sustainable access to some of the Whitsundays’ most popular snorkelling and anchorage sites.

Pacific Marine Group has been awarded the contract to carry out the installation works which are expected to take place in May this year.

Steven Jones, Business Development Manager at Pacific Marine Group, said the company had installed over 400 of its Environmentally Friendly Moorings all along the Great Barrier Reef, with many now up to 30 years old and performing as well as the day they were installed.

"This project will use all North Queensland local supplied labour and materials, with the planning, procurement and fabrication phase employing around 15 people, and the site installation phase also employing around 15 people between the marine crew, diving crew and Management crew,” Mr Jones said.

“Our unique Environmentally Friendly Mooring system continues to provide positive environmental outcomes by providing an alternative to vessels dropping anchors in sensitive marine environments.”

More information about public moorings in the Whitsundays and across the Great Barrier Reef, including maps, GPS positions and vessel size classes is available at https://bit.ly/3JQJpdX

The public mooring project is part of the Government’s $3.9 million Reef Trails project to reduce anchor damage on coral reefs and improve public access to the Great Barrier Reef.

The moorings will be managed and maintained through the Reef Joint Field Management Program, which is funded by the Queensland and Australian governments to deliver crucial on-ground actions to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

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The Queensland Government plans to install thirty environmentally friendly public moorings in the Whitsundays in May