Nature Coast Marine Group Eurobodalla is showing the biodiversity

Bright autumn sunshine and sparkling water made for perfect conditions for the marine conservation group's What's Under the Wharf event on Monday, April 10.

NCMG president Dane Wilmott said the event was designed to highlight the amazingly rich and diverse marine life that the wharf supports. It has acted as an artificial reef for some 50 to 60 years.

"We had hundreds of people come through to stop and talk to NCMG and see the displays of octopus, fish, nudibranchs, shellfish and invertebrates," Mr Wilmott said.

"It was a great opportunity for families, particularly kids, to learn about the ecology of the area."

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Transport for NSW has determined that the wharf is in a deteriorated condition and in need of an upgrade.

It has proposed that the existing wharf be demolished and removed and a new one be reconstructed in the same location.

In its review of environmental factors, published in April 2022, it said construction would start in mid-2022.

However, the project "is in limbo" because "the biodiversity report was unacceptable", Mr Wilmott said.

Although Transport for NSW is the overarching body responsible for the project and is project manager, DPI must sign off the biodiversity report.

The various bodies are in the process of organising another survey that is sufficiently comprehensive to encapsulate the entirety of the impacted area's biodiversity.

While biodiversity assessments are often done on reefs, conducting them on wharves "is very much a new thing so Narooma will be at the forefront," Mr Wilmott said.

He said NCMG supports a comprehensive assessment "so we know what is there and what we can hope to re-establish".

The plan is to kick start the ecosystem of the new wharf by keeping as many of the old wharf's pylons as possible within the estuary.

NCMG will then select the most suited communities of sponges, soft corals and ascidians to re-attach to the new wharf.

The group is also keen that Transport for NSW uses a living seawall sleeve to help re-establish the ecosystem when the new wharf's pylons are built.

It is a pre-cast sleeve that fits over the pylons.

It is textured with complex surface designs that mimic the natural environment, so encouraging marine life to make it their home.

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