Pink snapper need our help again!

Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly has provided his support for our proposal to increase protection for spawning snapper in and around Cockburn Sound.

  • You can find the details of the closure here.
  • You can read the story about the issue on WAToday here.

We would like to thank you all for your support of this proposal, without your support, we cant get stuff like this done!

On July 9, Recfishwest wrote:

Following last year’s pink snapper spawning season in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds, Recfishwest held concerns over the effectiveness of the current rules in providing adequate protection for spawning snapper.

Recfishwest asked the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to provide an update on current research, which was supplied yesterday.

Click here to view DPIRD’s research update

This Fisheries research update indicates that:

Recreational fishers have a long history of looking after pink snapper in Cockburn Sound. Each year, families release thousands of snapper fingerlings as part of the Snapper Guardians program.
  • There are fewer older snapper in the south-west/metro population than there should be;
  • There are a limited number of age classes in the population;
  • Pink snapper in spawning condition begin to gather in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds in August and September; and
  • Evidence suggests that fishers are actively targeting pre-spawning fish as they make their way to the spawning grounds.

What does all this mean?

Put simply, snapper require more protection, particularly during the spawning period when they are very easy to catch due to their schooling nature and predictable migration pathways.

Given this Fisheries research update, Recfishwest propose the following:

  1. An extension to the current spawning closure period to include September (currently October to January),
  2. An extension to the current closure area to outside of Garden and Carnac Islands (see map below).
Recfishwest’s proposed pink snapper spawning closed area from 1 September to 31 January.

Recfishwest believe these measures will provide adequate protection to spawning fish whilst still letting fishers catch pink snapper on the Five Fathom Bank and along the rock groynes at Fremantle.

These measures will allow fish to spawn undisturbed as well as provide protection along the known migration pathways to snapper spawning grounds.

The Cockburn Sound pink snapper spawning aggregations are the largest and most important on the lower west coast. The breeding success of these fish is critical to maintain the future of snapper across the region.

The right time to do the right thing is right now and we’d like to see these measures introduced immediately.

See what Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland had to say below:

Continue Reading

September 21, 2023

Recfishwest at the 2023 Perth Boat Show – the views, the issues and the most colourful lure designs you’ll ever see!

Recfishwest got the chance to catch up with hundreds of mad keen recfishers on the weekend (15-17 September) at the Perth Boat Show.  Our stand at the heart of the show’s fishing section was a hive of…

Read More

September 14, 2023

Greenlip abalone closure – necessary, but disappointing and avoidable

DPIRD has advised that from 1 October 2023, fishing will not be permitted for greenlip abalone between Busselton Jetty and Shoal Cape in the Stokes National Park, west of Esperance. In addition: These changes are…

Read More

September 07, 2023

Anglers donate big mack sample haul at Onslow Mack10k!

With 78 boats brimming with 266 competitors all hoping to catch the biggest Spanish mackerel at the recent MACK10K competition in Onslow – our Fishing for Science table was jam-packed with macks!   The annual…

Read More

September 07, 2023

Prepare to go into bat for our most valuable fishing spots on the north metro and south coasts

Recfishwest understands plans for both the new South Coast Marine Park and the extension to Marmion Marine Park are to be released for public comment as early as October.    And it’s going to be crucial for the…

Read More

September 07, 2023

Recfishwest condemns proposals to ban beach driving at popular fishing spots near to Lancelin, Ledge and Seabird

Recfishwest has written to the Shire of Gingin strongly objecting to its proposals to heavily restrict four-wheel-drive access to some of the best fishing beaches around Lancelin, Ledge and Seabird over the next…

Read More

September 01, 2023

Healthier, bigger and more abundant fish – salmon management gets it right

Recfishwest is celebrating the official news that West Aussie salmon are bigger, more abundant and resistant to environmental changes than they have been in decades, following the latest release of DPIRD’s latest…

Read More