Catch! - Recreational fishing news from Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia
Issue No.44, June 2019

Know the rules up north

Whether you’re battling barra, or mucking around for muddies, the north of our state provides some magic fishing opportunities.

But before you plan your northern adventure, make sure you’re across the fishing rules, so that, for example, you are up to speed with daily bag, size and possession limits for barra.

Don’t get your muddies muddled up either – green and brown mud crabs have a different minimum size limit, so it’s important to be able to tell them apart and other rules relating to catching them.

Help keep fishing in northern WA the magic experience it is by sticking to the rules.

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Barra bonanza in Lake Kununurra

The latest batch of 100,000 barramundi fingerlings recently released into Lake Kununurra brings the total to 650,000 stocked since 2012, helping to turn the lake into a top-class barra fishery.

Funding for the latest batch of fingerlings came through revenue raised from recreational fishing licence fees that goes into the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund.

The restocking program is aimed at establishing Lake Kununurra as a bucket list destination for those wanting to catch the fish of a lifetime in safe sheltered waters close to the town.

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Eyes on the water for Operation Shadowedge

Our fisheries officers will be keeping their eyes on the water along our southern coastlines over the next few months, making sure fishers stick to the rules as part of ‘Operation Shadowedge’.

The operation, targeting both commercial and recreational fishers, has launched in Esperance, Hopetoun and Collie using aerial surveillance and other technology, such as long-range cameras and drones to monitor remote fishing locations.

We recognise most fishers do the right thing, but we encourage everyone to keep up-to-date with the current rules so there will be plenty of fish for the future, and to call FishWatch on 1800 815 507 if you have any information on illegal fishing activities.

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Roe’s blow for illegal abalone fishers

Two recreational fishers caught in possession with 437 Roe's abalone (pictured) at Moses Rock in WA's south-west have been fined $90,000 after being sentenced in Busselton Court.

In the Southern Zone abalone fishery, the maximum daily bag limit is 20 Roe’s abalone per fisher per day.

When interviewed, one of the fishers had also admitted he intended to sell the abalone to a buyer in Margaret River.

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