Catch! - Recreational fishing news from the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia
Issue No. 29, May 2017

Fisheries gets social

Image of a man and his son fishing, with images of Facebook and Twitter icons inset into the photo

We’re now on Facebook and Twitter to enhance the way we communicate and connect with you.

Our move into social media will help us keep you in touch with the latest industry updates and Fisheries news, as well as recreational fishing rules, topical issues and fisheries science.

So like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, comment on, share and re-tweet our content – and join in the Fisheries’ conversation.

Food-grade prawns off bait list

Image shows the loose shell of a prawn with white spot disease. It is courtesy of Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

We are calling on you to help prevent the spread of white spot disease to Western Australia’s fisheries by not using as bait any uncooked prawns or other crustaceans intended for human consumption.

You can also help by not disposing of crustacean waste, including heads and shells, in or near waterways.

While not harmful to humans, ‘white spot’ is a highly-contagious disease that affects crustaceans and has caused high rates of mortality in stocks on seven prawn farms in south-east Queensland. More.

Be smart and report sharks

Image of a smartphone showing the Sharksmart website

When you’re out in the boat or at the coast, help keep everyone safe by reporting shark sightings to Water Police on 9442 8600. This number is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Your report should include your name and phone number, the date and time of the sighting, where you saw the shark (the nearest beach or landmark and the closest suburb or town), what species (if you recognised it) or any distinguishing features, estimated size (comparison with a nearby vessel can help) and the distance of the sighting from the shore.

Your shark sighting report to Water Police provides the alerts and warnings mapped on Sharksmart, tweeted from Surf Lifesaving WA and sent via text message to life guards and beach rangers so beaches can be closed quickly when needed.

Cockburn crabs still off the table

Image of a blue swimmer crab

If you go crabbing, be aware that Cockburn Sound remains closed to blue swimmer crab fishing to protect the breeding stock.

Fisheries and Marine Officers have turned away parties of crabbers in Cockburn Sound who were ignoring signs about the closure and instead following social media tips about where crabs can be found. The crabbers risk a $400 infringement notice for a first offence − and further offences attract mandatory penalties and higher fines.

The closure is an important measure required for the recovery of the crab stock after our monitoring programs showed a significant decline in the number of crabs in Cockburn Sound due to environmental and biological factors. More.

Send us your skeletons to help pinkies

Image of a pink snapper

If you catch pink snapper in the Perth metropolitan area and South West, you can play a key part in their recovery by donating the skeletons to research.

Several years ago, scientific monitoring indicated fishing pressure had reduced the stock of key demersal species, including pink snapper in the West Coast Bioregion.

Currently we are receiving less than half the pink snapper skeletons needed to help us monitor how stocks are recovering, so please assist us by donating your pink snapper skeletons to our Send Us Your Skeletons program. By donating skeletons before 1 July 2017, you have the chance to win some great prizes. More.

Snagged fishing tackle on lobster pots

Image of a rock lobster pot on which fishing tackle is snagged

Should your fishing tackle become snagged on a rock lobster pot, please take a minute to warn rock lobster fishers of the hidden hazard by simply tying a rag to the pot float line, or tying the pot’s floats together.

Heavy sinkers and fishing hooks accidentally caught up on lobster pots can become a safety hazard when the pot is retrieved, particularly when pulled up on a high-speed winch.

To minimise the risks of snagging your gear at all, avoid using pot-lines as an ‘anchor’ for your boat, or fishing over lobster pots. More.

Licensed to throw

Fisher throw netting for bait at Cape Leveque. Photo: Maddi McDonald

Small fish species used for bait can be caught with a throw net in some Western Australian waters, but you require a recreational net fishing licence.

However, recreational netting – including throw netting – is banned in the Swan and Canning rivers to protect the juvenile fish that inhabit these waters.

Some fishers who holiday in the north at this time of year use local species, such as bony bream and greenback mullet as bait when fishing for barramundi, mangrove jack or fingermark, so it’s important to know how many of these fish you can legally take for bait. More.

Image in 'Food-grade prawns off the bait list' shows the loose shell of a prawn with white spot disease. Photo: Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Image in 'Licensed to throw' is by Maddi McDonald.