Community members are encouraged to have a say on whether a no fishing zone should be created around the engineered fringing reef off C.Y. O’Connor Beach in North Coogee.
The City of Cockburn will host a public consultation on the proposal at its Comment on Cockburn website from Monday 2 February until 4pm Sunday 22 March.
Information gathered during the month-long consultation will be collated into a report for presentation to Cockburn Council. The Council will review the report’s findings before deciding if it will ask the State Government to consider creating the no fishing zone.
The Minister for Fisheries Jackie Jarvis and the state Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will be the final decision-makers on any proposed no fishing zone at the popular reef.
The consultation is a result of a May 2025 Council decision. It was a response to community concern about increased observations of people spearfishing at the reef.
City of Cockburn Director Sustainable Development and Safety Dan Arndt said the focus was on safety and sustainability.
“Some concern is around fears of negative interactions between snorkellers, divers, and spearfishers, but there is also the potential for the raised perception and actual risk of shark attraction linked to blood and burley in the water,” Mr Arndt said.
A no fishing zone at the reef would ensure visitors have the same protection from fishing-related hazards as those recreating in the no fishing zone at the Coogee Maritime Trail and Omeo wreck, declared by DPIRD in September 2017.
The reef has become a popular destination for snorkellers, swimmers and school groups keen to observe the healthy marine environment that has established on the reef’s 270 concrete bombora modules 100m offshore.
The most recent fish survey at the site identified 68 fish species, equating to a 134 per cent rise in fish diversity at the reef since 29 species were recorded prior to installation.
The total number of species recorded at the site post-installation (i.e. from both 2023 and 2025 surveys) stands at 81.
Visit the Comment on Cockburn
website from 2 February to complete an online survey and learn about alternative ways to participate in the consultation, including in person, in writing or how to contribute a group submission.