A 460-tonne artificial offshore reef has been "stolen" from Wollongong and dropped to the bottom of the ocean off Shoalhaven Heads, a recreational fishing advocate says.
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Melven Brown, a 15-year member of the NSW Department of Primary Industries' Advisory Council on Recreational Fishing, contacted the Mercury after it reported the $900,000 concrete reef was being deployed this week.
Mr Brown questioned the motive behind the chosen location, saying he understood a site just south of the Five Islands at Port Kembla had initially been selected.
A Mercury report in March 2010 said four purpose-built artificial reef units would be sunk about 2.4 kilometres offshore from Perkins Beach, south of Port Kembla, under a proposal by the Department of Planning.
However, Mr Brown said he had heard nothing about it since and claimed the structure had been deployed further south instead.
"It's been stolen from Wollongong," he said.
"I just feel the government is taking credit for what had been recreational fishing initiatives.
"We're fully funding that reef from the recreational fishing licence money and getting no credit for it."
Kiama MP Gareth Ward said he wasn't aware he'd taken the reef for his electorate.
"Last time I checked fish don't observe electoral boundaries," he said.
"The artificial reef needs to go somewhere ... this will be beneficial for every person who fishes in our region."
Mr Ward said he was aware there had been "some discussions" about an artificial reef at Port Kembla.
"I am not going to apologise for putting my electorate first," Mr Ward said.
"When the first artificial reef was announced in Sydney, I decided to apply for the next artificial reef to be sunk off the coast of the Kiama electorate.
''I argued the case and the minister agreed with me."
Mr Ward said Labor was responsible for decisions made in 2010 and plans could have changed when the government did.
A spokeswoman for Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said the Shoalhaven Heads reef didn't replace a structure elsewhere and other areas were being investigated.
