Challenging weather couldn’t dampen spirits at the 49th King Bay Game Fishing Club Dampier Classic, with the iconic event once again highlighting the importance of fishing to Pilbara coastal communities.
It also showed how much Pilbara fishers care about their fishery, with many donating their catches to Recfishwest’s Fishing for Science program, supported by Woodside North West.
Fishing for Science in action
Across four days and 19 boats, competitors contributed 79 samples from species including Spanish mackerel, queenfish, cobia, trevally and spangled emperor. In return, our Fishing for Science team filleted fishers’ catches and provided DPIRD Research Scientist Paul Lewis with mackerel samples to support a Department stock assessment.
We also ran a popular Healthway Kids Fishing Clinic, where more than 60 young fishers learned how to catch, handle and release a variety of Pilbara species such as whiting, bream, tuskfish and cod.
Check out the highlights from the Dampier Classic and our kids’ fishing clinic in the video below!
Competition highlights
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Most species (boat): Hashtag with 19 species.
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Tag and release (boat): MICX crew with 58 tags across 13 species.
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Junior tag and release: Max Grasso with 39 tags across 11 species.
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Junior most species: Mia Grasso with six species.
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Stand-out catch: A near 17kg Spanish mackerel landed on just 3kg line.
What they said.
Recfishwest Senior Operations Officer Sam Russel:
“It was a fantastic response from the Dampier fishing community, who are just as passionate as we are about fish sustainability and research. Fishing for Science is a great way for fishers to learn more about the species they love to catch, while contributing to data that will benefit the fishery in the future.”
King Bay Game Fishing Club President Scott Sharp:
“Kids are the future of fishing, and it was fantastic to see so many youngsters excitedly wetting a line and asking questions at the Fishing for Science table. Despite the weather, the strong junior presence bodes well for next year’s 50th edition.”
A special thanks to our sponsor Woodside North West and all the competition sponsors for making this another brilliant event, we look forward to seeing you in 2026 for the big 50th edition!
Looking ahead
Recfishwest looks forward to returning in 2026 to help celebrate the half-century edition of this much-loved Pilbara competition — and thanks all fishers who generously donated their samples to Fishing for Science.
