Catch!

Recreational fishing news

Science needs your mangrove jack frames

Donate your mangrove jack fish frames at tackle shops across northern WA.

Fishing up north? Donate your mangrove jack fish frames to the first of its kind, nationwide study of this iconic species!

Mangrove jack are good eating, can live for up to 50 years and grow to more than a metre in length. They’re known for aggressive feeding and schooling behaviour, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing.

We’re collaborating with Recfishwest to understand the species’ stock structure across northern Australia and ensure this popular fish remains sustainable into the future.

Drop off your fresh or frozen frames (including the head and guts) to receive a free fishing lure and go in the draw to win a mangrove jack fishing shirt! There are several collection points in northern WA, including Telomac Tackle and Camping in Carnarvon, Exmouth Tackle and Camping, Karratha Adventure Sports and Tackleworld Broome.

Waroona Troutfest and Perth Boat Show

The DPIRD Pemberton Hatchery staff have been working hard farming trout that will be stocked in locations across the South West and Peel Regions to increase fishing opportunities. Come down to Waroona Troutfest on Saturday 7 September and release a fish! This event is run in partnership with the Shire of Waroona and Recfishwest.

Staying in the metro area? Don't miss the Club Marine Perth Boat Show from 6 to 8 September! Have a chat to our Community Education team and get your burning questions answered by our friendly and experienced staff.

Send us your herring and garfish frames!

Donate your Australian herring and southern garfish fish frames for science!

Otoliths (ear bones) extracted from donated fish frames help us figure out how old fish are. Yes, you’re 'herring' that correctly.

The next time you’re targeting these iconic bread-and-butter species, keep the frame with the head and guts intact and Send Us Your Skeletons! It’s a great way to teach kids about sustainable fishing and get involved in the Perth fishing community.

Be SharkSmart while spearfishing

Spearfishers can be vulnerable to interactions with sharks. Image credit: iStock

In the last 2 months, DPIRD’s Shark Response Unit has coordinated responses to 2 incidents where a spearfisher received injuries from a shark bite. New and experienced spearfishers alike can benefit from these tips to minimise the chance of a shark encounter or incident.

Always dive with a buddy. Carry a first aid kit in case of an emergency. Aim to kill your fish quickly, remove it from the water as soon as possible, and don’t carry dead or bleeding fish. Don’t have the fish attached on or near your body.

Always spearfish in clear water. Avoid areas with poor visibility, deep channels, or areas with steep drop-offs nearby. Stay away from large schools of fish, seals or wildlife behaving erratically.  

Stay alert of your surroundings. If you see a shark, do not interact with it. Stay calm and leave the water. The shark sighting can then be reported to Water Police on 9442 8600 to keep others informed. Download the SharkSmart WA app and stay informed of shark activity information. 

Snippets

• Targeting southern garfish? Make sure you keep what you catch, as they have a high post-release mortality rate. Check the rules for southern garfish on our website.
• A reminder that there are three easy methods to apply for a recreational fishing licence, online via DoTDirect, in person at select DPIRD offices, or via mail. We recommend all new applicants or existing recreational fishing licence holders register for DoTDirect. This will create a free personalised online account where you can manage all your information and pay your licence and registration fees in a secure and user-friendly environment. 

• Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers and DPIRD researchers are working together to gather and share data and knowledge about the waterway by sampling fish, monitoring water quality and collecting and analysing shoreline debris. Check out the media release and YouTube video about this important project!

Seasonal notes

• Don't get pinched! Blue swimmer crab fishing is closed between the Swan and Canning Rivers and Minninup Beach from 1 September to 30 November. Remember that the Cockburn Sound crab fishery is closed until further notice to protect the breeding stock. 
• Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish in the West Coast bioregion closed on 1 August and will re-open on 16 September for the school holidays.
• Cockburn Sound is the site of the largest known aggregations of pink snapper in the West Coast bioregion and is critical for sustaining adequate breeding stocks of these long-lived and slow-growing fish. It is illegal to be in possession of pink snapper while fishing in the waters of Cockburn and Warnbro sounds during the closed season from 1 August to 31 January.
• Print a copy of our recreational fishing season calendar so you're always up-to-date on the rules.

Caught out!

Major black market seafood compliance operations resulted in a 33-year-old woman from Clarkson, a 37-year-old man from Quinns and a 49-year-old man from Madeley being found guilty of the illegal sale or purchase of more than 100 western rock lobster on multiple occasions. The trio received combined fines of $14,000, $55,500, and $24,000 respectively. A second major compliance operation concluded with a 64-year-old woman from Canning Vale being fined a total of $69,000 plus $3,000 in costs after pleading guilty to four charges related to the purchase of black-market western rock lobster and greenlip abalone.

A 39-year-old man from Geraldton has been issued with fines, penalties and costs totalling $6362.70. In December 2022, DPIRD officers located 11 undersized western rock lobsters and 35 sea urchins in the man’s possession. The 39-year-old did not hold a recreational rock lobster fishing license, and 8 of the lobsters had punctured carapaces. It is an offence to use an instrument capable of piercing or damaging rock lobster, possess undersized western rock lobster, and land more than 20 sea urchin and more than 8 rock lobster in one day.

A 28-year-old man from Exmouth has been issued penalties and costs totalling more than $7000 after guilty pleas to 14 illegal fishing charges in Exmouth Court. The illegal activity took place on 10 occasions between July 2022 and February 2023 in sanctuary areas of the Montebello Islands and Barrow Island Marine Park and the Ningaloo Marine Park. 

Be SharkSmart

Join more than 178,000 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 reported sightings.

FishWatch - 24 hour reporting

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

The 1800 815 507 FishWatch phone line provides the quickest and most efficient way to report sightings or evidence of:

• illegal fishing
• aquatic pests and diseases
• fish kills.

You can also submit illegal fish reports on the Crime Stoppers website. Please note that reports to Crime Stoppers are not monitored outside normal working hours or at weekends.

You can also report ornamental or pest species to Aquatic.Biosecurity@dpird.wa.gov.au. Please do not release any ornamental or pest species into the water. 

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), 2024.