Did you know that there are live oyster reefs in North Arm Cove? Some are naturally occurring, and some are the remnants of past oyster farming. There are reefs next to the shore off Cove Boulevard and Eastslope Way, plus several more off the non-urban area, near Bulga Creek and up Bundabah Creek.
According to DPI Fisheries, research has shown the important role these reef areas play in maintaining estuarine processes such as water quality and aquatic species diversity and abundance. Efforts to protect and restore oyster reef and bring back lost ecological functions are growing globally.
The DPI spatial portal has maps showing the locations of these reefs and also sea grasses. Some of these grasses, including Posidonia australis, are protected. The map can be found at https://webmap.industry.nsw.gov.au/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=Fisheries_Data_Portal
The map has several layers. You need to go to the tools section and click the layers that you would like to view. Once you have ticked the box, just click on the words labelling the layer and if there is a key, it will come up. For example, the oyster reefs and sea grasses are colour coded.
The map is very good for other purposes. You can measure distances and areas, plus there are several other layers such as oyster lease locations, topography and so on. The clarity is very good. If you look closely, you can even see individual posts in the water. The land is also very clear and there is a cadastral layer.
