State-wide FADs program

Recfishwest is excited to announce the launch of this summer’s new Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) season, with 30 devices now deployed across the southern half of WA from Steep Point down to Albany.  

This year’s rollout also includes innovative fish-monitoring technology that will be trialled for the first time in Australia. Check it out in the video below! 

These buoys will provide 24/7 live data on the number and size of fish gathering around the devices, offering valuable insights into the behaviour of pelagic species and supporting the continuous improvement of sportfishing opportunities on the FADs. 

The new Satlink SLX+ sounders being trialled will deploy a 35-degree beam and provide 24/7 information on the biomass of fish aggregating within 10 depth intervals (down to 115m depth).  

To save bandwidth, data from the sounder will be streamed hourly, with five-minute intervals captured from an hour before to an hour after sunrise, a key period for pelagic fishing.  

This will help DPIRD assess fish abundance under the FADs and correlate it with factors like temperature and depth and the data will potentially help refine future FAD placements and deployment timing.

As for the re-deployment of FADs in our northern regions between Exmouth and Broome, these deployments are expected to take place around March/April of 2025 and stay in the water until around November. This is so they are in the water during the calmer winter months after the cyclone season passes throughout summer. We’ve been in discussions with fishing clubs and local communities in the Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley regions to pinpoint the best locations for the devices which we will be sharing on our FADs location page (located above) as well as on our Recfishwest app.

To check in on real-time FADs coordinates and updates, make sure you tune in regularly to this page or via our app. Happy FADs fishing!

Funded by recfishing licence fees through the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund, the trial State-wide FADs program began in November 2019 when six FADs were deployed off Perth to complement Perth Game Fishing Club’s (PGFC) existing and successful FADs.

In the program’s first year, FADs were also deployed off Albany and Cape Naturaliste to great effect with dolphinfish and tuna varieties among the regular catches at both locations.

The second year of the trial saw the addition of FADs deployed off Geraldton and also off Rockingham, in partnership with Mangles Bay Fishing Club.

The State-wide FADs trial’s first year also saw FADs deployed off Exmouth and Broome, each producing terrific results.

This is exactly how we believe recreational fishing funds should be spent – to create great fishing opportunities for which there is high demand and support within the recfishing community.

The Broome FADs, which were deployed in June 2020, marked the most trailblazing deployment of the trial’s first year, with the devices based in relatively shallow water.

The FAD closest to shore proved a hit among small boat owners because it was easily accessible to fishers in all boat sizes, including tinnies, and provided great fishing for cobia.

The FADs further out held large amounts of baitfish, in turn attracted plenty of pelagics including dolphinfish, while small marlin and the occasional sailfish were also encountered nearby the devices.