Kingfish FADS installed at Torquay Reef

Victorian boating anglers are in for a treat with the news that five yellow FADS (fish-aggregating devices) with flashing lights will be installed at the Torquay Reef.

The idea of the FADS is to attract more kingfish to the reef and boost boat-fishing opportunities. The kingfish population in Victoria has boomed in recent years and boat
fishers capable of heading 3km offshore to the Torquay Reef are in for a
treat this summer.

The FADs will be installed in early December (2017) and will remain there for six months, when kingfish are most active. They will be removed during winter when the big swells and whales are about.

The Torquay Reef’s border coordinates are:

The two-year FAD trial is being funded through the Target One Million plan,
which aims to increase angling participation in Victoria to one million
fishers by 2020.

Each of the new five FADs will consist of a large floating surface buoy attached to a long rope that descends 25 metres to the reef below.

Pelagic fish are attracted to structure, so with the addition of a smaller sub-surface buoy, the rope acts like a pathway that guides fish to the surface.

Flashing lights on the FAD ensure safe navigation in low light and at night.

The Torquay reef was funded largely by recreational fishing licence fees
and deployed in 2015 as Victoria’s biggest artificial reef.

The
reef itself consists of 25 concrete modules, up to four metres high and
weighing up to 20 tonnes each, arranged into five clusters of five. Each
cluster will host one FAD on the surface.

Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford was enthusiastic about the improving recreational fishing opprtiunies in Victoria.

"We know Victorians love their fishing and that’s why we’re making sure everyone has the opportunity to cast a line."

"This year alone we've stocked a record 1 million trout, opened Rocklands Reservoir in the Grampians and, by May 2018, commercial netting will cease in Corio Bay for good," the Minister said.

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