Georges River Shellfish Reef Revitalisation Project

Oysters Aplenty - the history of shellfish reefs in Georges River

Georges River and Kamay (Botany Bay) were once abundant with Sydney Rock Oysters (Saccostrea glomerata) and Australian Flat Oysters (Ostrea angasi). These oysters formed extensive shellfish reefs and provided important habitat for fish and invertebrates, protected shorelines, and helped to keep the water clean.

Sadly, following European settlement, these oyster reefs rapidly disappeared due to over harvesting, and by 1896 Australian Flat Oysters in Kamay were declared extinct. You can read more about the history of these shellfish reefs here, and their importance to the Traditional Owners, who relied on these reefs as an important food source for thousands of years, evident by the shell middens found along the Georges River.

Following the collapse of these oyster reef ecosystems, one of Australia’s first oyster aquaculture ventures began in the Georges River in the 1880s, with commercial oyster farms operating in the region for almost 100 years. By 2001 disease killed up to 90% of the oyster population in the region, and this lead to the collapse of the local oyster aquaculture industry.

Bringing shellfish reefs back from the brink

Under TNC’s Reef Builder program, 3.2 hectares of subtidal reefs were constructed in 2023 at Kurnell in Kamay and these were seeded with millions of Australian Flat Oysters to kickstart the recovery process, marking the return of these oysters to Kamay for the first time in over 120 years.

Thanks to funding from the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust under the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, and with the support of Big Blue Ocean Foundation, TNC is now expanding restoration efforts to the Georges River catchment with two new sites located at Taren Point and Audrey’s Bay.

Georges River Shellfish Reef Revitalisation Project

This exciting new project aims to add an additional 2.5 hectares of subtidal reefs at Taren Point to continue to support the recovery of Australian Flat Oysters, and 0.5 hectare of intertidal reefs to support the recovery of Sydney Rock Oysters at Audrey Bay.

Construction of the reefs is proposed to commence in October 2025 at Taren Point, where locally sourced rock will be placed on the seafloor to create 10 to 20 reef patches in water depths around three to four metres. The reefs will be constructed from a barge using a long reach excavator. It will take approximately three weeks to construct the reefs.

Construction of the intertidal reefs at Audrey Bay is planned for later in 2025 and this will take approximately two weeks.

This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust under the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, with the support of Big Blue Ocean Foundation.