The State Government will canvas support for more boat pens at Geraldton and Exmouth to meet demand for moorings from recreational boaters in these regional areas.

Officially opening 67 new pens at Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, Transport Minister Simon O'Brien said expressions of interest would soon be called for 50 new pens at the Batavia Coast Marina and 44 pens at Exmouth Boat Harbour.

Mr O'Brien said both proposed construction projects would rely on boaters prepaying mooring pen licence fees - a similar funding arrangement for the new state-of-the-art pens at Fremantle.

The Minister said the success of the $3 million Fremantle project, which saw the highly sought-after pens allocated by public ballot, had cleared the way for duplicate projects in the regions.

“Growth in the recreational boating sector in recent years has increased demand for mooring facilities throughout the State and there are long waiting lists for pens at the Batavia Coast Marina and Exmouth Boat Harbour," he said.

Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney welcomed the State Government’s decision to examine the issue and said that the Geraldton boating community would welcome the enhanced infrastructure.

“These new initiatives come only two weeks after the State Government announced that an additional $390,000 will be invested in Geraldton to improve traffic flow and parking at Batavia Marina,” Mr Blayney said.

"I am proud to be a part of a Government that is continually seeking to improve boating facilities for the region.”

Mr O’Brien said during the past 10 years the number of larger registered vessels measuring more than 7.5m in length has increased from 4,000 in 1998 to 7,200 in 2008 - an increase of 3,200 vessels or more than 40 per cent.

Department of Transport projections show that with sustained high growth in the sector by 2025 the number of these vessels could double.

"The Department of Transport will advertise next month for expressions of interest in the new pens at Geraldton and Exmouth and people will be asked to make a financial commitment and clarify the size of pen required," the Minister said.

“The department will assess the level of commitment from potential penholders and establish the scale of each project.

“Tenders will be called for the design and construction of the pens based on the information received."

People wanting further information about the project can contact the department on 9216 8876.