Our Staff

Andrew has been an avid fisher for most of his life and enjoys many types of fishing from marron, trout and redfin through to offshore species and everything in between. Whenever he gets the chance, you’ll find him on the water in his boat or kayak or wading the flats in search of the next fish. 

Andrew studied at Murdoch University and holds a PhD in Fisheries Science. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of Recfishwest since 2012, leading the organisation’s work to represent and advocate for Western Australia’s recreational fishing community. 

He is currently a Director of the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation and a member of the National Fisheries Advisory Council, which provides advice to the Australian Government Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on national fisheries and aquaculture policy. 

Andrew believes recreational fishing delivers significant social, cultural, health and economic benefits to Western Australia and is passionate about maintaining and growing this value for the benefit of the wider community. 

He recognises that managing fisheries requires balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders while protecting the shared resource they value. Ensuring the interests and values of West Australians who enjoy fishing are effectively represented is central to his work in helping protect and enhance great fishing experiences for current and future generations. 

Tim Grose is the Partnerships and Business Development Manager at Recfishwest. With well over a decade of experience at Recfishwest, he plays a leading role in developing strategic partnerships, driving business growth and strengthening relationships that support sustainable recreational fishing across the State.

Tim brings a strong background in natural resource management and stakeholder engagement, having previously worked as a Senior Water Planner for both the Department of Water in Western Australia and Queensland’s Department of Natural Resources and Water. This experience underpins his ability to navigate complex environmental and regulatory landscapes while aligning commercial, government and community interests.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aquatic Resource Management and Aquaculture from Central Queensland University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

At Recfishwest, Tim has helped expand the organisation’s reach and impact, notably in large-scale projects such as artificial reef development and industry partnerships. He is passionate about creating long-term value for fishers, communities and the marine environment through collaboration, innovation and responsible advocacy.

Leyland started at Recfishwest as a Research Officer in 2012, before being appointed to Principal Policy Officer in 2013. This position transformed into Operations Manager in 2016. As Operations Manager, Leyland is responsible for ensuring Recfishwest’s day to day business activities are running smoothly and providing the best possible outcomes for the State’s estimated 750,000 recreational fishers.

Leyland has a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in Aquaculture and Seafood Science and has managed aquaculture training facilities in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Leyland has spent more than ten years as a lecturer at various universities and has practical experience in the culture of a number of tropical and sub-tropical species.

In addition to tertiary postgraduate qualifications, Leyland also possess an unrestricted Coxswain Certificate, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Certificate IV in Small Business and Frontline Management and is a recent graduate from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Fishing has always been a passion for Leyland and he finds the challenge of helping to protect the rights of the recreational fishing community and improving fishing experiences to be very rewarding.

Having grown up in a small South West community, Matt had a strong community spirit instilled in him from a young age.

His love of fishing was borne out of family trips to Denmark on the south coast, and later with time spent on Christmas Island in the late 90s. Matt has fished in almost every corner of WA and believes that the fishing opportunities on offer here are world-class.

Matt attended the Recfishwest Future Leader program in 2008 and has been involved with Recfishwest in some capacity ever since. On completion of a one-year term on the Board in 2009, Matt joined the Recfishwest team as a staff member in October 2010.

He took on the Regional Policy Officer position in 2013 before becoming Recfishwest’s Fishing Development Officer. In July 2019, Matt became Recfishwest’s Operations Lead and he enjoys his work visiting regional communities, providing solutions and promoting increased fishing opportunities across the State.

Ben Carlish is a passionate writer, communicator and fisher with more than 25 years’ experience in journalism and public relations. Much of his love for Western Australia is driven by its sensational fishing which drew him here from his native England.

A senior journalist with a post-graduate diploma in journalism and extensive experience working in and with the UK and WA media industry, Ben worked for 10 years in the Department of Fisheries’ communications team promoting sustainable fishing initiatives. He has written for a wide range of fishing publications including the Department’s Western Fisheries magazine, Western Angler, Fishing Western Australia, the West Australian newspaper and WA Fishing Monthly.

Having joined the Recfishwest team in August 2019, Ben found his dream job working with fellow fishing “obsessives” and helping to communicate and advocate for recreational fishers to make WA fishing even greater for all West Aussies.

James is the leading expert in habitat enhancement in Australia, with more than ten years of experience in this field. He has successfully created a framework for the development of habitat enhancement initiatives that has a strong focus on long-term benefits driven by industry and community partnerships. This framework has since been used to develop the first integrated artificial reef in Australia (King Reef) and is now being used to explore opportunities with several major industry operators to provide community based and nature positive solutions to decommissioning challenges.

Since his involvement in the first artificial reef installations in Western Australia (the South West Artificial Reef Trial), James has been pivotal in artificial reef development in Australia and was the lead project coordinator responsible for the successful installation of King Reef in the Gulf of Exmouth, WA – the fastest developing artificial reef in the southern hemisphere. Thanks to James’ innovative way of thinking and passion in this space, Recfishwest has also been successful in gaining environmental approvals through the Commonwealth Government to enable the installation of multiple artificial reefs incorporating the alternative decommissioning of offshore assets on the North West Shelf.

James has extensive experience in the consultation, design, configuration, permitting and monitoring of artificial reefs and other habitat enhancement, restoration and retention activities. In addition to a Bachelor of Science (Hons), James has completed a Diploma in Fisheries Compliance and Management and the National Seafood Industry Leadership Program (NSILP).

Danielle joined Recfishwest’s artificial reef team in March 2021 after nearly a decade in the WA Department of Fisheries’ aquaculture management team.

With a background in policy, regulation and government processes, and a Master of Environmental Law, much of her work involves helping navigate the legislation, consultation and approvals needed to deliver artificial reef projects.

Danielle enjoys working with the recreational fishing community to create more fishing opportunities in WA, and has contributed to a number of artificial reef initiatives and policy discussions that influence habitat enhancement outcomes across Australia.

Whenever the opportunity arises, Danielle loves to wet a line all around the state. A few examples include chasing salmon off the South Coast beaches, trolling for pelagics around artificial reefs she helped facilitate, or snaring a delicious feed of marron in the summertime.

Sam specialises in artificial reef research and development. In pursuit of his passion for the marine environment, Sam completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Marine Science and Zoology in 2017, and a Master of Biological Science specialising in Marine Biology in 2019. Sam wrote his dissertation on fish assemblages associated with the Perth Fish Towers.

Sam has extensive experience at Recfishwest in the research and development of artificial reefs. He currently consults on all of Recfishwest’s artificial reef projects, including multiple proposals involving alternate decommissioning of offshore infrastructure. Sam has expertise in artificial reef ecological development, permit application drafting, and risk and impact assessments. As an outstanding graduate of Recfishwest’s Next Wave Young Future Leaders Program and the National Seafood Industry Leadership Program (NSILP), Sam has solidified his position as a key contributor and leader in the habitat enhancement field.

Thanks to Sam’s expertise in marine habitat enhancement and retention, he has played an essential role in many successful artificial reef installations in the state of Western Australia. Beyond artificial reefs, Sam has an in depth understanding of marine ecology, fisheries policy and legislation. As a multifaceted team member of Recfishwest, Sam Bock provides outstanding value in his field and executes his role specific tasks with high attention to detail and integral consideration to health and safety impacts and risk mitigation.

Jarrad sparked his love for fishing as a child, spending every spare day on a weekend exploring new fishing spots along the Western Australian coastline with his family and friends.

A former professional swimmer, Jarrad was a marathon swimmer and open water specialist, winning two Australian titles in the 5km and 10km open water as a teenager and winning the Rottnest Channel Swim as a solo swimmer in 2012 at the age of 21.

Jarrad completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Broadcasting from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2015, winning the Lillian P Cavanagh Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. He spent years working for Nova937 and 6PR as a presenter and producer and also worked as a reporter for the West Australian newspaper.

A mad fisher, Jarrad will happily dive into any type of angling. He mixes it up from fishing off his Hobie kayak up in Exmouth for Spanish mackerel, spearfishing in the Abrolhos Islands, chasing tailor and salmon off the beaches and freediving for crabs and crays. Through his Communications Coordinator position at Recfishwest, Jarrad hopes to educate and introduce as many people as possible to the joys that fishing brings through imagery, videos and online content creation.

Growing up in Collie in the State’s South West, Sam developed a love for freshwater fishing at a young age catching redfin perch, trout and marron in local streams and dams.

His love for all things fishing continued to grow on family holidays to Augusta where he caught a host of bread-and-butter species.

In 2005, Sam moved to Australind, which opened up a wide range of new fishing opportunities spending countless days catching tailor, whiting and blue swimmer crabs in the Leschenault Estuary.

After finishing high school, Sam decided to pursue his love for the marine environment at university, enrolling in coastal and marine science at Curtin University.

Soon after finishing his degree Sam began his honours working alongside Recfishwest on the monitoring of King Reef in Exmouth.

These days, Sam spends his free time exploring all parts of Western Australia in search of exciting new fishing opportunities.

Growing up near Fremantle, Levi has loved fishing for as long as he can remember. Living close to the coast and with a dad who always had a boat, he was spoilt for choice, regularly targeting skippy, herring and squid in Cockburn Sound along with sunset snapper sessions around the islands, even on school nights.

By the age of 12, Levi was fishing the Ammo Jetty most afternoons, chasing a wide range of species including Spanish mackerel, mulloway and sharks. It was here he formed a group of lifelong mates who still fish together today both offshore and land-based. Levi’s passion spans across all forms of fishing from game fishing and flyfishing through to jigging, topwater and soaking a bait for snapper. Over the years, he has experienced some incredible fishing across Western Australia, including trips to the Abrolhos and Montebello Islands, along with the Gascoyne, Pilbara and the Kimberley regions.

When he’s not fishing, Levi enjoys freediving for crayfish, spearfishing around Rottnest Island and exploring the WA coastline on road trips.

Levi has worked in both the charter and commercial fishing sectors and went on to complete a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Environment Management. As part of the team at Recfishwest, he is passionate about ensuring sustainable recreational fishing opportunities continue to thrive and improve for future generations.

Sedin is the Projects and Systems Coordinator at Recfishwest, where he supports the development of key organisational systems, including the Recfishwest App. His role focuses on ensuring the organisation’s digital tools, data systems, and reporting platforms effectively support both operational delivery and strategic decision-making.

With a background in Computer Science and Data Science, and a Diploma in Project Management, Sedin brings a strong blend of technical capability and structured project delivery to his work. He oversees system implementation, organisational reporting, and dashboard development, helping translate datasets into practical insights that support Recfishwest’s programs and initiatives. Sedin also provides internal IT and systems support across the organisation, ensuring staff have the tools and infrastructure needed to deliver projects and engage with the recreational fishing community across Western Australia.

Alongside his professional role, Sedin is currently undertaking a Master’s by Research part-time, exploring the social and behavioural dimensions of recreational fishing. His research interests focus on how infrastructure and initiatives can influence participation and engagement in recreational fishing. Outside of work, Sedin is a passionate recreational fisher who spends much of his time exploring Western Australia’s coastline, continually combining his professional interests in fisheries with his personal love of fishing.

Mason joined Recfishwest in the summer of 2025 as the Community Engagement Officer, bringing with him more than five years experience in the outdoor leisure and tackle industry.

In his role, Mason works closely with the recreational fishing community across Western Australia, helping build strong relationships with fishers, clubs and community groups. He is passionate about creating meaningful face-to-face connections and ensuring the voices of everyday fishers are heard and represented.

Mason is an avid outdoorsman who embraces any opportunity to immerse himself in nature. Whether it’s fishing the entire 130km Cape to Cape Track in the South-West, spending days chasing bream on the Blackwood River or scooping for a feed of delicious crabs, he is always seeking out new adventures across the state’s unique landscapes and waterways. Whether on land or water, he doesn’t turn down the chance to get his hands dirty and his feet wet.

Through his work at Recfishwest, Mason is dedicated on helping ensure future generations can enjoy the same fishing experiences that shaped his own connection with the outdoors.

Kim is a Research Officer at Recfishwest with a strong passion for WA’s marine environment and recreational fishing. She is currently studying a Combined Bachelor of Marine Science and Master of Marine Biology at the University of Western Australia.

Kim started at Recfishwest as an intern in 2023 and has since become deeply involved with our artificial reefs team. Kim deeply cares for WA marine life and the unique species that can be found here. When she’s not studying or in the office, you can be sure to find her out on the water finding elusive weedy seadragons, catching crayfish, reeling in squid, or honing her underwater photography.

Kim is an active member of multiple local fishing clubs, particularly the Perth Game Fishing Club, where she competes in various competitions across the state. She even took out Champion Female at the 2025 Marlin Cup with a cracker of a marlin! Kim values the important role clubs play in building strong fishing communities, sharing knowledge between anglers, and supporting sustainable fishing practices while encouraging more people to get out on the water.

Logan is a marine scientist with a strong interest in reef ecosystems, fish-habitat associations and innovative marine surveying methods. He has completed an undergraduate degree in Coastal and Marine Science, followed by his honours research at Curtin University.

He is currently completing a PhD focused on processes across deep and mesophotic reef habitats at Ningaloo Reef, looking at district fish assemblages and unique benthic recruitment across key deep water habitats. His research has also highlighted the cost-effective use of ROVs (underwater drones) in complex reef systems. Logan has extensive field experience using remote survey technologies including diver based surveys, ROVs, BRUVs, RUVs and benthic recruitment techniques.

Growing up in the Perth Hills, Logan’s distance from the ocean only strengthened his fascination with the marine environment. He spent much of his childhood fishing and exploring the WA coastline whenever he had the chance. He spends much of his spare time on or in the water, whether it be fishing, diving for crayfish and taking his family out on the boat. His early connection with the ocean fuelled a passion to spend as much time on the water as possible and ultimately led him to pursue a career in marine science with Recfishwest.

Growing up fishing on the Swan River, Tim developed a love for the water from a young age. Countless mornings and afternoons were spent casting along the riverbanks in search of bream, flathead and tailor, sparking a lifelong passion for fishing and the outdoors.

In 2024, Tim joined Recfishwest as an intern whilst also studying a Bachelor of Advanced Marine Science at Curtin University. Following the completion of his internship, he continued to assist with the delivery of fishing clinics and gained valuable hands-on experience working with community groups and young fishers, leading to him taking on the role of Fishing Clinic Coordinator in 2025.

Through his studies at university and work with Recfishwest, Tim has developed his knowledge of marine ecology, sustainability and responsible fishing practices. Through his passion for fisheries management and the fishing clinic program, Tim is helping introduce the next generation to fishing in a safe, ethical and environmentally responsible way.

When he’s not studying or delivering clinics, Tim enjoys getting out on the water whenever possible and loves all fishing that WA has to offer.

Linda has worked as an Accounts Assistant at Recfishwest since 2022, supporting the financial operations that help our organisation deliver positive outcomes for Western Australia’s recreational fishing community.

Linda’s role focuses on accuracy, organisation, and keeping our internal processes running smoothly so our programs and initiatives can have the greatest impact.

Originally from South Africa, Linda has lived in Australia for the past 21 years. The blend of cultures and experiences has shaped her appreciation for community, the outdoors, and the importance of contributing to work that supports people and the places they care about.

Linda deeply values being part of a team dedicated to sustainable fishing and healthy marine environments. Through her many years of experience working behind the scenes in finance, she has gained a unique perspective on how each project, partnership, and initiative comes together to support WA’s vibrant recreational fishing culture.