A strong turn-out for the 2025 Bluewater Classic run out of Geographe Bay showcased the South-West community’s passion for fishing – with many of the 160-plus participating fishers donating samples to fisheries science.
The 2025 Bluewater Classic – run by the Naturaliste Game and Sportfishing Club – saw a strong field of adult and junior fishers turn out to catch a range of species.
Naturaliste Game and Sportfishing Club Vice President, Tom Miller, said it’s one of the biggest turnouts in the competition’s history.
“We had 165 competitors across 47 boats catching a mix of species out on the ocean, upriver and off the beaches. It’s always been a great competition for the variety of fishing on offer and the juniors absolutely loved it,” said Tom.
DPIRD were able to collect valuable data from 12 species from fish frames donated by fishers, with tissue samples and otoliths collected to help better understand our fishery.
Recfishwest’s Senior Operations Officer Sam Russell said the willingness and interest of fishers to learn about the species they were catching reflected good stewardship among the local fishing community.
“We love seeing the club members’ passion for fishing, the fish they fish for and the future of the South-West fishery at this great community event,” said Sam.
“There was a healthy mix of dhufish, yellowtail kingfish, pink snapper, herring, whiting, breaksea cod, baldchin groper and various other species caught and donated for sampling. The community were as keen to understand these fish as much as they wanted a delicious feed,” said Sam.
“A big thanks to DPIRD for their tireless efforts over the weekend in collecting samples from every species big or small, to Geographe Bay Yacht Club and Naturaliste Game and Sport Fishing Club for hosting this great event, and the participants who were keen to have a yarn about all things fishing,” added Sam.
