Shelter Brewing Co draws Line in the Sand against giant invasive goldfish with German Wheat beer fundraiser

When you think of goldfish, you might think of a small fish swimming in a fishbowl. But one local brewery is teaming up with environmental groups to raise money to tackle invasive giant goldfish in South West waterways. Shelter Brewing Co has collaborated with not-for-profit coastal conservation group Line in the Sand and OzFish Geographe by making a specialty beer, German Wheat, in a bid to raise money for the cause. OzFish WA program manager Steve Pursell said the funds raised would help the local chapter set up a community-led project to trap feral goldfish in the Vasse River and other local waterways. “Goldfish might seem harmless but when released in waterways, they can grow as big as two kilograms, and they eat everything, the eggs of native fish and invertebrates as well as trawling along the bottom of waterways disrupting the sediment, which increases the nutrients in the water and increasing the likelihood of algal blooms,” he said. “Scientists have found feral goldfish in the Vasse River to be among the biggest and fastest growing in the world, it’s not something we want to be famous for. “The last eradication program was a decade ago and we’re hoping to set up a way that community volunteers can get involved to do something positive that will complement the recent efforts from the City to tidy up the Vasse River. “People might think they are doing the right thing by releasing their goldfish into the wild, but it’s the opposite, and it’s a significant problem not just in Busselton but across WA, putting pressure on our native fish.” German Wheat beer is available on tap at Shelter, as well as from various local breweries such as Rocky Ridge, Beerfarm, CBCo, Margaret River Brewhouse, Wild Hop and Eagle Bay Brewing Co. The beer is a hefeweizen with notes of soft pear, banana and wine aromatics, with a crisp lemon malt finish. Shelter Brewing Co head brewer Jason Credaro said Shelter was thrilled to work with Line in the Sand and OzFish to help rehabilitate and protect the environment. “We live here, we work here and we all love the water, so helping to protect the Vasse River and waterways is important to us and to our friends at other breweries,” he said. Line in the Sand chairperson Howard Cearns said support from local businesses was crucial to the funding success of the project and they were thrilled to partner with Shelter Brewing Co and OzFish. “Line in the Sand was created to raise much-needed funds for local projects which protect and preserve our precious coastal region,” he said. “One of our key strategies is to work with local businesses who are as passionate about this as we are, and Shelter actively reached out to help.”