We don’t need to count the fish better – we need to manage them better
Calls for mandatory catch reporting in WA’s recreational fishing sector continue to surface, largely driven by commercial interests and some media commentary. Let’s be clear: this is a solution looking for a problem.
Recfishwest does not support mandatory catch reporting for recreational fishers, and neither does the WA Government, whose current policy rightly reflects the strong evidence base and supports our position.
The data we have now is robust, world-class, and more reliable than most other jurisdictions globally. It is independently verified, statistically sound, and developed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) using rigorous, peer-reviewed methods.
Despite repeated claims, no proponent of mandatory reporting has ever provided any evidence that the current recreational catch estimation approach is flawed, or that mandatory reporting would work better. In fact, global experience shows the opposite.
Mandatory catch reporting doesn’t work – and the Kimberley proves it
If mandatory reporting was such a silver bullet for sustainability, it would have worked in WA’s overwhelmingly commercial Kimberley Demersal Scalefish Fishery – where it’s been in place for years. But it hasn’t. That fishery has recently been assessed as being at high risk of sustainability failure, despite mandatory reporting being fully implemented.
This shows that mandatory reporting alone doesn’t deliver sustainable outcomes. The system may collect data, but without effective management action, it won’t improve stock status. If it doesn’t work in a tightly controlled commercial setting, it’s hard to see how it would succeed in WA’s diverse, community-driven recreational sector.
We support what works – not what sounds good
Recfishwest is not opposed to new tools or approaches if they can genuinely improve fisheries management. We would support mandatory catch reporting if there was any evidence that it worked. But despite years of discussion and examples from around the world, no one has presented a workable model that delivers better outcomes than the system WA already uses.
Until that changes, we won’t support replacing a high-quality, independent system with one based on flawed assumptions and wishful thinking.
What would it even look like? Nobody knows.
There has never been a proposal in WA that outlines how mandatory recreational catch reporting would actually work, no detail on compliance, enforcement, user experience, privacy, or cost. Just vague ideas with no plan.
Where systems like this have been tried overseas, they’ve failed due to:
– Poor compliance and unreliable data
– Privacy concerns and community mistrust
– Lack of user-friendly reporting platforms
– High costs with little return
– No way to validate or verify what’s reported
Recreational fishers are doing their part
Recreational fishers have always stepped up, embracing changes, supporting science, and contributing to stock recovery efforts, often more than any other sector.
WA’s recreational fishing sector accounts for around 10% of demersal catch statewide, yet recreational fishers remain the most visible, engaged and invested in healthy fish stocks. In contrast, 90% of demersals and 95% of all seafood in WA is caught commercially.
If we’re serious about sustainability, let’s put effort where it matters most, into smart, effective management that improves our fisheries, not more red tape that burdens responsible fishers and adds no value.
