Representatives from the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, the Department of Conservation, Landcare Research and the Clutha District Council met recently at the reserve to discuss options.
The reserve covers 12km of coastline and marginal strips and is home to about 48 breeding pairs of yellow-eyed penguins.
Trust field manager David McFarlane said the reserve provided a ''marvellous'' opportunity to attract more than just penguins to the coast.
''It could be a perfect place for petrels and albatross - a functional seabird ecosystem people could go and see.''
The aim of the two-day meeting was to work out how predators could be controlled on the reserve.
''It was a chance to share ideas.''
Doc staff from Wellington were taken around the reserve to assess how suitable it would be for a predator-proof fence now being developed.
''By the time we've worked through our restoration plan, it could be available to us.''
What the trust had learned from the exercise was that even if a fence could be used, trapping would continue to be needed outside the fence and pest monitoring inside the fence.
''Regardless, that is always going to be an issue.''
Whatever direction was taken, it would be a long-term plan beginning with the restoration plan, he said.
