A decision to donate multiple dhuie and pink snapper frames to the latest West Coast demersal scalefish stock assessment has booked Lisa Woolfenden on a six-day charter to the Montebello Islands – and she’s amped!
Lisa, from Perth, was the lucky fisher drawn as the winner of the Send Us Your Skeletons campaign, claiming the top prize of a fishing charter to the Montes with charter-operator Montebello Island Safaris.
With sailfish, marlin, wahoo, coral trout, red emperor, GTs and Spanish mackerel among the amazing species the Montes has to offer, it’s not surprising Lisa is super-excited to get stuck into the bluewater action.
“Winning the Montebello charter definitely came as a massive surprise, that’s for sure,” Lisa told Recfishwest.
“My husband, John, and I go out regularly off Perth to dive and fish – it’s something we love doing.
“I’ve never fished the Montes, but I can’t wait to get there and have a crack at catching a trophy fish like a big red emperor.”
Donating West Coast demersal scalefish frames for science
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Send Us Your Skeletons program plays a very important role in gathering fish samples, which can be aged and help fisheries scientists build up a picture of the health of a fish stock.
In this way good scientific data underpins good fisheries management.
At the moment, obtaining good sample numbers to generate good scientific data is particularly important in tracking the recovery of the west coast demersal scalefish fishery.
However, west coast demersals are not the only frames in demand, with researchers also wanting herring, tailor and King George whiting skeletons from the West Coast and South Coast bioregions.
The more DPIRD fisheries scientists know about these important recfishing species, the better.
You can also win a trip to the Montes!!!
The stock assessment is ongoing and DPIRD are still collecting fish frames, so be sure to donate skeletons of your catch to science for a chance to win next year’s grand prize to the Montes.
You can donate fish frames (or heads if you want to keep the frames of big demersals for the BBQ or burley) at a range of DPIRD regional offices and participating tackle stores and there’s even a frames collection service provided by DPIRD if you’re in the South West.
CLICK HERE FOR FRAMES DROP-OFF LOCATIONS AND SOUTH WEST PICK-UP SERVICE
Frames of all the species the Department requires (and heads of big demersals) can be donated fresh or frozen, if you can’t immediately drop them off the day the fish was caught.
You will also need to provide:
- your name, phone number and email address (so DPIRD can send you research feedback and put your name in prize draws);
- the date of your capture; and
- the general location of your capture (for boat catches, distance and bearing from port and the name of the port, for example 3nm west of Hillarys; for shore catches, the general location).
Don’t stress about revealing your secret dhuie spots – the information provided about the location of your catch will remain confidential, so all your prized secret dhuie spots will be safe!
Remember, donating your frames won’t just give you a chance to win a trip to the Montes like Lisa – it also gives DPIRD the frames needed to create a more robust picture of our fish stocks’ health.
