Catch!

Recreational fishing news

Switch your fish during the West Coast demersal closure

A recreational fisher holding their prized tuna catch. See what you can reel in while switching your fish during the demersal closure. 

A reminder the West Coast demersal scalefish closure is from 1 February 2024 to 28 March 2024 (inclusive). The fishery will reopen on 29 March this year to allow you to catch demersals over Easter.

The demersal closure is in place to reduce recreational fishing effort to help achieve a reduction in catch to support the stock’s recovery.

It is prohibited to fish for, take, be in possession on a boat or land demersal scalefish within the West Coast Bioregion (north of Kalbarri to east of Augusta) during this period. If you accidentally catch a demersal scalefish from a boat in this area during the closed season, you must return it to the water as soon as possible.

Switch your fish and try the many other great fishing opportunities including pelagics such as tuna, dolphinfish and mackerel, nearshore species such as tailor, flathead and whiting, as well as invertebrate species such as squid and crabs.

Send us your skeletons program update!

Graphs showing the lengths of indicator species donated over the Sep-Oct and Dec-Jan open seasons.

Valuable biological data have been collected from more than 800 demersal fish skeletons donated by 180 recreational fishers over the last two open seasons for demersal scalefish fishing in the West Coast bioregion!

Donated frames of WA dhufish, snapper and baldchin groper were caught from the Abrolhos Islands in the north to Augusta in the south. The largest sampled fish was a 1,005 mm male dhufish caught off Cape Naturaliste.

The otoliths (ear bones) extracted from sampled fish will now be set in resin and cut into thin sections to enable our scientists to determine their ages. These data will contribute to ongoing monitoring of how the stocks of these species are tracking.

To thank those who have donated their frames, our first prize draws will take place next month! 

WA's aquatic resources are in good nick

The State of the Fisheries report shows that WA's fisheries are sustainably managed.

WA has maintained its global leadership in sustainable fisheries management with 96% of stocks assessed as not being at risk or vulnerable to fishing and more than 90% of the state’s fishery value is from certified fisheries.

The latest State of the Fisheries report for 2022-23 shows Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries continue to support WA’s strong economy and regional communities.

Greenlip abalone in the Abalone Managed Fishery is the only resource classified as inadequate due to exploitation, and management actions are already in place to assist the recovery of that stock.

The report also acknowledges the West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource is operating under a 20-year recovery plan, which is supported by a $10 million State Government package of new measures to help fast track the recovery.

150,000 beachgoers are staying safe this summer

SharkSmart WA has reached 150,000 app downloads.

The SharkSmart WA app has reached over 150,000 downloads this summer, keeping beachgoers notified of near real-time information on shark activity.

Members of the community play an important role by reporting shark sightings using the quick call link in the app, or by calling Water Police directly on 9442 8600.

Download the app to stay up to date on shark activity, including alerts and warnings.

Snippets

• Our compliance teams have noted that there are particularly high numbers of juvenile crabs in the metro region. Take extra care when measuring your catch to make sure we have plenty of crabs for the future.
• Over 1,600 Beach Emergency Numbers (BEN) signs have been installed around WA so far! BEN signs improve safety for beachgoers year-round. Additional BEN signs are currently being installed in the shires of East Pilbara, Exmouth and Shark Bay, with extra signs being installed around Esperance. In an emergency, dial triple zero and quote the unique code and location information on the nearest BEN sign. Where possible, someone should wait at the BEN sign until emergency service crews arrive.
• If you’re going crabbing in the Swan and Canning rivers, remember to remove the head, guts and gills from crabs before freezing or cooking to reduce the risk of consuming the toxins produced by Alexandrium. You can check out our video on how to clean blue swimmer crabs.
• Thank you to all the recfishers who have downloaded the FishCatchWA^TM  tool to report your west coast demersal catches. You too can contribute to the science and help support recovery efforts for these popular species. Check out the FishCatchWA™ tool on the ServiceWA app or download it today from the Google play store and the Apple app store​.

Seasonal notes

• The West Coast demersal season is now closed, reopening on 29 March.
• Fishing using a wire trace is now prohibited at all Perth metro beaches from Tim's Thicket Beach to Two Rocks north, including the Swan-Canning Estuary.
• The remaining West Coast zone abalone sessions are scheduled from 7am to 8am on Saturdays: 17 February and 9 March (replacement date after the session on 3 February was cancelled).
• From 1 December, the Swan River to Minninup Beach area blue swimmer crab fisheries reopen. Don't get pinched - check out the new Crabbing Code of Conduct for guidelines on best crab fishing practices. 
• The area from Busselton Jetty to Shoal Cape is closed to recreational greenlip abalone fishing, however this does not affect brownlip or Roe’s abalone. This area is also closed to commercial fishing for greenlip abalone as part of the recovery strategy for this species. Download the guide for more information.

• Print a copy of our recreational fishing season calendar so you're always up-to-date on the rules.

Caught out!

285 illegally caught marron have been seized and up to 13 people are facing prosecution after a DPIRD operation targeting out-of-season marron fishing in the South West. The fine for out-of-season fishing for marron can be up to $5,000 plus an additional mandatory penalty of $50 for each illegally obtained marron. Fishing for, including setting marron fishing gear, outside the season is prohibited.

A 38-year-old Geraldton man, who did not appear in court, has been found guilty of taking 56 abalone from a closed area, and fishing for and taking 14 sea urchins out of season. Last October, DPIRD fisheries officers observed the man fishing at Cape Burney about 500 metres south of the Greenough River mouth. The man has been ordered to pay more than $9,000 in total fines and costs

Be SharkSmart

Join more than 150,000 people who have already downloaded the SharkSmart WA app. Report shark sightings to Water Police on 9442 8600 or download the SharkSmart WA app for near real-time updates of the latest shark activity.

FishWatch and aquatic biosecurity

If you see something that looks a bit fishy, please report it so we can investigate.

• Information about illegal fishing activities should be reported to FishWatch on 1800 815 507 or online at: https://www.crimestopperswa.com.au/organisation-report/fishwatch/.
• If you see a fish kill (small or large numbers of dead fish in the aquatic environment), please report it immediately​ to FishWatch.
• If you see or catch any ornamental or pest species, please do not release them into the water - instead, report them to: Aquatic.Biosecurity@dpird.wa.gov.au. 

Important disclaimer 
The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.

Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development), 2023.